


Book 3: A Sacrifice of Honor

by DevinCx, piratenami



Series: Knights of the Old Republic: Outcasts [5]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: Knights of the Old Republic
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Implied/Referenced Torture, Non-Explicit Sex, Non-Graphic Violence, Original Character-centric, Space Opera
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-27
Updated: 2018-08-08
Packaged: 2019-05-24 14:40:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 39,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14956563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DevinCx/pseuds/DevinCx, https://archiveofourown.org/users/piratenami/pseuds/piratenami
Summary: The Wanderer is supposed to be making a routine cargo run to the peaceful Republic world of Castell. But things are anything but routine when a Mandalorian fleet moves in to blockade that world.Stuck on the planet's surface, Liana and Aeron try to evade capture by the invading forces.Separated from their ship and crewmates, Renn and Kara find unlikely new allies in an attempt to rescue their friends before time runs out.And, working from the shadows, a hidden power makes their move.Unless they can escape this trap, the Wanderer and her crew are about to be be caught in the crossfire of a full-scale confrontation between the Mandalorians and the Republic.





	1. Memories

It took Renn Falani a moment to remember where he was when he opened his eyes. There was just enough light coming from the small night-light by the door to make out the rough shapes of his mother's living room. Long familiarity filled in the details of well-known corners and edges, of shabby furniture and old memories.

The biggest difference in the room was the woman lying next to him. Kara was supposed to be sleeping on the nearby couch. She'd either given up or accidentally rolled off, and somehow wound up sprawled half on top of him at some point during the night.

After they'd arrived on Nal Yeshu to drop off Ori and Meena, Renn and Kara had stayed behind to visit and have a little more downtime together. Renn and Ori had wanted to make up for some lost time, and Meena was trying to pick up the pieces of her interrupted life.

The Wanderer had gone on to make a simple cargo run to the Republic world of Castell, and should be coming back for them with their return cargo load in a few weeks. There hadn't been any contraband, and nothing unusual about either job, so Renn wasn't too worried about Liana and Aeron alone on the ship. Besides, Kara was _very_ good at distracting him.

He shifted position and she stirred a little, snuggling closer. He could tell she was awake, or at least halfway there, even though she was trying to pretend otherwise. "Good morning," he said against her ear.

"Morning," she murmured back, not opening her eyes.

Since they'd started sleeping together, Renn had discovered that Kara woke up slowly. He wasn't sure if that was because he was there with her, but he didn't mind. He enjoyed lingering in her arms in the morning.

He ran his fingers through her loose hair, brushing it back from her face, and kissed her ear. As much as he didn't want to get up yet, they probably should. What he actually wanted to do right now... well, his mother had been very clear about not wanting _that_ going on in her living room. Besides, he wasn't sure what time it was, and he couldn't reach his chrono or datapad to check. Ori would probably be getting home from work any minute, with his luck.

Renn tried to move and failed. "Are you gonna let me up sometime this morning?" 

"No." Kara grumbled and nestled closer against his side, her arms wrapped around him.

He tried a different tactic. "Do you want my mother to find us like this when she gets home from work?"

She sighed and finally opened her eyes. "No...."

Renn kissed her gently. "Why don't you go grab a shower? I'll make some breakfast for us."

She giggled, rolling over so she could get up. _"You_ can cook?"

"Better than Mom can."

"Should I be afraid?"

"Let's just say there's a reason we picked up food for dinner last night."

Kara laughed and pushed herself to her feet in a graceful motion. Renn watched in appreciation as she bent to rummage in her travel bag for fresh clothes, then headed toward the refresher.

He got up himself and pulled on yesterday's shirt for now; he would shower when she was done. Then he went into the kitchen to see what he could find.

***

They were both showered and dressed, talking over empty plates and half-full cups of caf at the small kitchen table, when they heard the apartment door open.

"Hey, Mom," Renn called through the doorway. "I made some extra breakfast if you want something to eat."

"Thanks, kiddo." Ori walked into the kitchen. She nodded to both of them, then took some of the eggs that Renn had made and joined them at the table. She looked tired, he noted. He wondered if she'd had to deal with any unruly customers at the bar tonight. Although, honestly, he'd bet on his mother over pretty much anyone else in the galaxy. She was tough.

Ori looked between them. "So what are you two gonna go do today?" 

Renn blinked. "What do you mean?" 

"Well, I need to go to sleep in a little bit," she said. "You're getting out of the house while I do, so I can have some peace and quiet."

"Mom!"

His mother gave him a stern look. "Why don't you show Kara around a little? Take her to some of your old haunts?"

Renn glanced over at Kara, uncertain. But her eyes shone with interest. "Yes!" she said with a smile. "I wanna see where you grew up, spacer boy."

"It's nothing special," he warned her. "And I don't know what's changed in six years."

"I'd still like to see it," Kara said firmly, setting her empty cup down and standing. "Come on, let's go." She started to pull him up, too, her hand under his arm. He sighed and stood, letting her tug him along.

"Just be quiet when you get back," Ori called after them as they left the kitchen. "I might still be sleeping."

Before they left the apartment, though, Renn stopped and looked Kara over. "Wait. You can't go out like that."

She cocked her head and blinked. "Like what?" 

He sighed. "Don't keep any valuables in plain sight. If you want to bring money with you, keep it inside your tunic. And leave your lightsaber here, unless you can secure it somewhere safe out of sight."

She unhooked the hilt and looked at it, obviously uncertain. "Why?"

"Pickpockets," Renn said, grabbing his jacket. "This isn't exactly the safest place in the galaxy. I don't want you to lose something irreplaceable." He hid his own blaster inside his jacket instead of on his hip where he normally wore it, and then slipped a few credit chits into an inside pocket.

"Um, okay." She removed her weapon belt and laid it down on top of her bag, adding the pouch where she kept her crystals to the small pile a moment later. "Suddenly I'm not so sure about this."

"We'll be fine. I've got some money, and I know what I'm doing here." He held his hand out to her. "Trust me?"

Kara looked at him and smiled, then took his hand. "You, I trust. I'm not so sure about this planet, though."

Renn grinned. "Come on, farm girl. Let's go widen your horizons."

***

As they walked along the busy pedestrian way, Kara ran through everything she'd studied about Nal Yeshu on the way here. 

Like many of the developed planets in Hutt Space, Nal Yeshu was largely made up of cities so vast they bled into each other. This part of the planet-wide city technically had a name of its own once, before it was consumed, but people didn't bother calling it that anymore. It was all just Nal Yeshu now.

And like most of Hutt Space, the wealth here tended to rise to the top. Nal Yeshu was a trade hub, which meant a lot of money passed through it, but most of that stayed in the hands of the Hutt families that controlled both commerce and criminal activities. Very little of that money made it down here.

Renn's mother lived in an area that was not a slum, per se, but to Kara, it was only a couple of steps above one. The buildings here were somewhat rundown, and the area had an industrial feel to it.

Despite that, there were still children playing, families walking together, a small flurry of speeders and other vehicles going by, both in the streets and in the air above. It was a place that was alive, in its own way. It was like nothing she'd ever experienced, this life of a community. She looked about her with a wider and wider smile.

Renn, however, looked as if he were growing more and more worried about something. 

Kara reached for his hand and squeezed. "What's wrong?" she asked, concerned.

"Hmm? Oh... I just..." He hesitated, then pulled her into an unoccupied alley, making sure they were alone. "I'm not sure what to do if anyone recognizes me. I mean, Taeren Ket is supposed to be dead. I don't really know if I want him to be alive again. And I definitely don't want that name associated with Renn Falani."

"Why not?"

"It would complicate things," he said, "for both me and Mom. As far as everyone else around here knows, I've been dead for six years. And now I'm suddenly going to reappear out of nowhere. If anyone recognizes me, it could blow everything to hell."

Kara thought about it. She felt over the bond how much this idea bothered him, but it still seemed like borrowing trouble to her. Renn made her whole world Sing, but he was a first-rate worrier. She remembered her father's take on probability and thought it might cheer him up. "Well," she said, "that's either going to happen or it isn't, right? Fifty-fifty chance."

He shook his head. "It's not that simple."

She pulled him back out onto the street. "You're overthinking things again," she said. She began swinging their hands back and forth as they walked.

"You know me, I'm paranoid." He chuckled wryly.

Truer words had never been uttered. "You are," she said with a nod. "It may not even happen, so you might as well just relax until it does."

"Easy for you to say."

She pressed on. "Even if it does, just make up a story. They'll be so surprised at seeing you again, I bet you no one will even think twice about it."

He chewed on that for a bit. "All right, fine," Renn said at last, "but if I get stuck explaining myself, you have to help bail me out."

"Deal," Kara said. 

They walked a little further, until they came to a busy intersection. "So... what did Taeren Ket get up to as a kid?" she asked, stopping to take everything in. She sometimes got nervous in big cities, and as they left the semi-residential area behind, it began to overtake her again. Renn must have felt a little bit of that through their bond. He squeezed her hand and smiled.

His smile was infectious, and Kara found herself smiling back at him. How did he manage to completely derail her worries so easily, every single time?

"Hmm." He looked around. "Things have changed some in the past six years, but not as much as I thought. Let's go this way first," he said, nodding to the right.

Kara walked beside him, not letting go of his hand.

***

Renn found Yerba's junk shop much the same as it had been before he left: an old building that had been a warehouse once, now packed near to bursting with ship and speeder parts, old computers, and all manner of salvaged tech.

Kara took it in from the doorway, eyes wide. "Um... wow. Is there room for anyone to move in here?"

"Carefully." He chuckled. "I used to spend hours in here, finding bits and pieces for projects I was working on," he told her. "Sometimes I sold them stuff I scavenged and fixed up, too."

A little Ugnaught came out from the back of the store and grunted something in his own language. The alien's automated translator repeated his greeting in both Huttese and Basic. It wasn't Yerba himself, but a member of his extended family; Renn had to admit he'd always had trouble telling them apart, all ten-plus of them. He was proud of Kara for not staring too hard at the alien. She was getting better about that, now that she'd been travelling the galaxy for a little while.

Something caught Renn's eye and he let go of Kara's hand. "Whoa, is that...?" He crouched down and picked up a small, sleek box with several wires poking out of it, studying it intently.

"What is it?" she asked, leaning over to look, too.

"It's a broadband multi-phasic transponder." At her blank look, he tried to find a simple explanation. "Basically, it makes it easier to fake a ship's ID, and lets you switch between different IDs. I've always wanted one of these for the Wanderer." He stood up, still holding it, so he could inspect it further.

"Heeey… wasn't that what you _said_ you found when we were out shopping on Bhardesh?" 

Renn looked at her, surprised. "Was it? I don't remember."

"Yes, it was," Kara said, eyeing him. Of course she _would_ remember that.

"Oh... Yeah... I didn't..." He trailed off awkwardly. She knew he'd been lying that day anyway, so there was no sense hiding it. They'd never really talked about it, though; how he'd circled back to buy her those wooden hair combs he'd found her looking at. He wasn't even sure he could explain to her why he'd done it.

She smiled, and reached up to touch the comb she wore in her hair today. "I know," she said, and leaned in to kiss his cheek.

They explored the shop together, and he paused to inspect a few more items. He could tell Kara was getting a little bored, though. She was trying to stay interested and indulge him, asking questions about what he was looking at, but this wasn't really her thing and he knew it. "Hey, let me buy this and we can get out of here, okay?"

"Sure, I'll wait for you outside," she said, giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze. He watched her carefully pick her way back through the junk shop to the door.

He took the transponder over to the Ugnaught to haggle the price down. It was a bit expensive, but he thought it would be worth it. He would get this installed on the Wanderer when they came back in a couple of weeks.

Renn emerged from the shop with his new purchase and looked around for Kara, feeling her presence but not seeing her right away. Finally he spotted her across the street. She'd been accosted by a few local kids: a couple of humans, a boy and girl probably around ten or so, and a little Mirialan girl who was probably a year or two younger. At first he thought the kids might be trying to scam her or ask her for money, until he realized they were throwing and kicking a ball around, and... Kara was playing with them.

He leaned against the wall of the junk shop and just watched her for a while. She was laughing and cheering the kids on as they kicked the ball back and forth with her. She looked beautiful like that, so full of life and joy.

When she realized he was watching, she looked over at him, flashing him a brilliant smile. He grinned back at her. She said something to the kids, then came over to where he was waiting.

"I'm glad you're having fun," Renn said as she got close.

"I am." Kara reached for his hand again. He couldn't help himself; he pulled her close for a kiss. She slid her arms around his neck and kissed him back.

He wasn't sure how long it was before the giggling of the kids nearby broke the spell between them. Kara blushed as she stepped back. "We should probably go," she said, a little breathlessly.

"Yeah. Are you getting hungry?"

"A little."

"Come on," he said. "There's someplace I want to take you, if it's still here...."

***

The little diner that Renn led Kara to was a hole-in-the-wall, set into a beat-up old building. "I know, it doesn't look like much," he told her. "And I'm sure it's not really great food or anything, but Meena and I used to eat here a lot, when both our mothers were working late."

Kara looked at it dubiously. "Is it safe?"

"Probably," he said. "I mean, we both came out more-or-less okay. Trust me?"

Well, crap. What was she supposed to do now, say no? "Okay, but if I get sick later, you're taking care of me."

"Deal," he said with a laugh, and led her inside.

They were sitting across from each other at a booth, looking over the menu, when Kara heard a loud gasp. "Taeren Ket? Is that really you?"

Renn started and looked up.

The speaker was a human woman in her sixties, maybe, with age lines on her face around a pair of dark, sharp eyes. She had curly silver hair that was piled up on her head, out of the way. 

"Hey, Isa," Renn said, trying way too hard to sound casual. His voice sounded strained instead. "It's been a while." 

"I- I thought you were dead," the woman stammered. She stared at him, her eyes wide.

Renn sighed. "That's... a really long story." He looked across at Kara like he was wracking his brain for an explanation, some kind of excuse that was far enough from the truth.

Kara thought as fast as she could. "There was an accident," she said seriously, "and he lost his memory for a while. He's only gotten it back recently."

Renn stared at her. So did Isa. "Oh," the older woman said, "I'm so sorry. I didn't realize.... Here, I'll be right back to get your order."

"It's fine," Renn said. When the waitress was out of earshot, he hissed at Kara, "That was the worst excuse I have ever heard."

She beamed back at him, playing innocent. "I did promise I'd bail you out."

He rolled his eyes. "Right. Now I have to live with that terrible story. Amnesia, seriously? It sounds like something out of a bad holodrama."

"You weren't saying anything, and she was getting suspicious. Did you have a better idea?"

"No," he said at last. "But... amnesia?" He shook his head.

The arrival of Isa at their table with a couple of glasses of water kept them from saying anything further. Kara could practically feel the waitress's scrutiny on the pair of them. "You do remember me, don't you, Tae?" she asked finally.

"Of course I do," Renn said, smiling up at her. "Meena and I ate here all the time when I was a kid."

"Oh, good!" Relief flooded Isa's voice. "How's that girl doing, anyway? I haven't seen her around lately."

"She's actually back for a visit right now herself," Renn said. "She was living on Novus Station for a couple of years. I ran into her there, and we decided to come home to visit together. I'll tell her you asked after her. I'm sure she'll come by later and see you too."

"I'd love to see her." Isa's eyes darted between him and Kara, as if she wanted to ask but wouldn't. 

Kara smiled and introduced herself. "I'm his girlfriend, Kara."

The older woman looked startled, then she laughed. "I never thought I'd see the day when that happened."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Renn sounded indignant.

Isa smiled. "Tae, you were always too busy playing with your computers to notice girls."

That was just so... him. Kara burst out laughing, unable to hold it back any longer.

Renn flushed. "That's not true." 

Kara gave him a knowing look, and broke down laughing again. He glared across at her, as if to say 'don't you dare.' That was it. She was beyond hope now, alternately slapping the table and holding her belly.

The waitress patted him on the shoulder, amused. "What can I get you kids?"

They placed their orders, and she went off again, still smiling as Kara's giggles followed her.

***

After lunch, Renn and Kara headed out to the street again. 

"She was nice," Kara said.

"Yeah," Renn nodded. "She kinda looked out for Meena and me a lot when we were younger."

"I could tell." She paused and looked around. "So, where to next?"

He looked around, too. "I'm not really sure what else is still here. How about we take a walk until we find something interesting?"

"Sure," she said, taking his hand again.

They started walking together, hands clasped, through the streets of his old neighborhood. Memories flooded back to him as they went. All this stuff, this was part of him, whether he wanted it to be or not. It was a weird sensation, being back here again after all these years. Even more so, having Kara there with him. His new life colliding with his old. He wasn't quite sure how he wanted to reconcile them yet.

He pointed out buildings or landmarks to her as they passed them. Over there was a little playground where he and Meena used to play sometimes with a couple of other neighborhood kids when they were little.

"I never liked them but I went along because Meena wanted to," Renn said. "One of them tried to pull her lekku all the time, and wouldn't stop when she said it hurt." He let out a wry chuckle. "I finally punched him for it. I think I was nine years old at the time."

Kara snickered. "Really?"

"Uh huh. Of course, he was bigger than me, and he punched me back a few more times, so that wasn't exactly the smartest thing I ever did. I'm pretty sure Mom... um... had words... with his parents. That was the end of us playing together, by the way. He wouldn't come near either of us after that."

"Oh dear, I can just imagine it…."

"Yeah...." He shook his head.

He pointed out an empty, shuttered shop out to her. It was gone now, but there used to be an old shop there that sold holo-discs, books and videos. 

"I would try to buy or trade for every book and holo they had on computer systems. Once the owner asked if I really understood all that stuff." Renn grinned. "He wouldn't believe me, so I sliced his system. He wasn't able to make any sales the rest of the day. Of course, he'd thrown me out, but eventually he had to let me come back so I could fix it. Apparently no one else could figure out how I'd done it either."

She smacked him lightly in the arm. "You were a little brat, weren't you?"

He smirked. "Hey, he stopped giving me grief after that."

They turned a corner, and Renn stopped short. 

There was a little plaza there, kind of a courtyard between the tenement apartment buildings that rose on all four sides of the square. He remembered that much; it had been a nice, wide, flat place for the local children to play when he'd been growing up. 

But since then, the residents of the area had made it into a marketplace, and there was almost a festival atmosphere around the area today. People wandered the square, where merchants had erected stalls all around the edges, selling everything from food to clothes to handmade crafts to salvage and junk. A trio of street musicians had set up in the center of the little plaza. One played a string instrument of some kind, another a wind instrument, and the third a drum. Renn didn't know enough about music to recognize the instruments specifically, but they played an upbeat, happy tune that careened across the open space.

Kara seemed instantly captivated by the sound. She let go of his hand and started moving toward the small crowd around the musicians, clearly wanting to see or hear better. He followed her, staying close. He wasn't really worried about losing her in the crowd, not with their bond. But she was still a little too naive about some things, and he didn't want her to get into any trouble while she wasn't armed.

She stopped a few feet away from the musicians, on the edge of the crowd of people. Renn came up behind her, slipping his arms around her waist. She leaned back into him and closed her eyes. She had such a peaceful expression on her face, unguarded even surrounded by all these strangers. That was okay; she had him to watch her back.

They stood like that for a while, listening to the music. Or maybe Kara was listening to her Music, Renn couldn't quite tell. He only knew she was happy. That was all he needed to know, really. He kissed the top of her head and she smiled, but didn't open her eyes.

Kara came up out of her trance-like state when the musicians paused for a break. "Wow," she said, her eyelids fluttering open. "That was pretty."

Renn brought a hand up to lightly stroke her cheek. "Yeah, it was."

"I meant the music, Renn." He smirked at her and she blushed. "Let's look around for a bit," she said quickly, grabbing his hand and dragging him toward one of the merchant's stalls. She was so easy to fluster sometimes. It was kind of adorable.

She moved from stall to stall, as if she wanted to take it all in, pausing over anything that caught her eye. When the musicians started playing again, she insisted on returning to the center of of the plaza to listen a while longer.

Renn walked beside her, not letting go of her hand.

***

The two of them were tired by the time they made it back to Ori's apartment in the late afternoon. His mother had already left for work again, so they had the place to themselves until the morning.

They put their purchases down near their other bags, and Renn shed his jacket, tossing it nearby. Then he sat down on the couch. "Oh, hey. I almost forgot, I found something for you."

"What?" Kara asked, looking a little suspicious.

He reached down into the bag he'd just dropped off, and dug inside it until he found the small disc. "One of those musicians had a stall set up. I think you missed it." He held it up to show her. "They were selling some music recordings. I don't know if it's the same as what they were playing there, but I thought you might like it."

Her eyes lit up. "Thank you!" She settled next to him on the couch, snuggling against his side. Then she kissed him on the cheek. "I had fun today." 

"I'm glad," he said, wrapping an arm around her. "It probably wasn't what you were expecting, huh?"

"No, but I got to see a lot more of where you came from." She paused. "It explains a lot."

"Hey," he tried to protest. But her smile was mischievous and entirely too difficult to resist. He kissed her, gentle at first, but with rising ardor as she eagerly kissed him back.

He reached up to gently tug out the wooden comb she wore and set it aside, freeing her hair so he could run his fingers through it. He trailed kisses down her neck. His hands ran down her back and around to the clasp of her belt.

"Renn... we promised Ori we wouldn't," she said, "remember?"

He groaned, collapsing against her in frustration, hands falling still. Then he sighed and pushed himself away from her carefully. 

"Right. I guess I'll go take a shower," he said, standing up. A cold one. Very cold, like Hoth-level cold. He hated the idea, especially when she was so warm and... but she was right. They had promised.

To his surprise, she pulled off her boots and stood up. "I'll go with you."

"What?" He stared at her.

"Ori never said anything about the shower being off-limits," Kara said with an absolutely wicked smile, her eyes gleaming.

He had come to know _that_ look very well over the last few weeks. "There's not a lot of room in there. It'll be a tight fit for both of us." Renn smirked back at her.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him again, soundly. Her voice was husky with desire and promise when she spoke against his ear. "We'll make do."

***

When Ori came home from work the next morning, she found Kara, fully dressed, half-sprawled across Renn on her living room floor. Her son had one arm wrapped possessively around his girlfriend's waist. Ori sighed and grumbled, then pulled a blanket over the girl's shoulders and let them be.


	2. Moves

Aeron contemplated the board. It looked like his trap had taken Liana completely by surprise.

He sat back and crossed his arms, every bit the magnanimous conqueror. "You are well and truly cornered. You can either keep your Counselor in danger, in which case my Padawan will surely claim her, or you can remove her to safety, only to open your Dreadnought to advance by my Sentinel, which will also endanger your Chancellor."

Liana growled at him.

He beamed at her in return. "Just laying out your options, my dear Captain."

She reached out a clawed hand, and moved a lowly Starfighter into position. "Is that so?" she asked. Her voice was pleasant, but her smile was sharp.

"Liana, you're stalling," he said with the grin of the certain. "A Starfighter can't engage... wait, is that...?" The piece Liana had moved was indeed no match for the pieces endangering her royalty, but in moving it she had cleared an avenue of attack for her Assassin... straight to Aeron's Chancellor.

"Threat," Liana said around a toothy grin of her own. "And, I believe, Dominion as well."

"Wait, no..... What?!" Aeron's face went from glee to sorrow to disbelief all in the span of a heartbeat.

"You were too busy setting up your dual-pronged offensive," she said. "It allowed me to slip the subtle knife right up to your throat." She laughed at his expression as she began cleaning up after their game, storing the pieces back inside their compartments in the board. "Don't look so glum," she said. "You play very well for a novice."

Aeron sighed, and fought down a positively Renn-ish reaction. "Liana, I have been studying the game of Empire for over two decades, I think I have moved safely beyond novitiate."

She grinned at him again. "And I have been playing this game longer than you've been alive, child." She chuckled. "Although I do wish I'd known sooner that you played. It is nice to have an opponent who is closer to my skill. Renn indulges me sometimes, but I think the game bores him."

Aeron laughed. "Is it too difficult for him?"

Liana raised her brows. "The opposite, I'm afraid. It took him a while to learn, but once he finally picked up the rules, he could utterly destroy me almost every time."

He stared at her, shocked.

"Who do you think created that AI game program on the computer? I've learned never to underestimate him." She put a compassionate hand on his shoulder. "Or any of you." She rose from the table and stretched. "Would you like some tea?"

"Love some, thanks." Aeron rose and followed her to the galley.

The Wanderer sat parked in a docking bay on the world of Castell, awaiting a delivery of cargo for the return trip to Nal Yeshu. 

Personally, Aeron was enjoying the break from his other shipmates enormously. He hadn't had a good night's sleep since things between his sometime student and her boyfriend had become physical. He was overjoyed that they had found each other, and that their obvious fondness had evolved into love, but he was also tired of feeling their passion hammering at him through the trio's unusual Force bond.

Ah, peace, quiet and civilized companionship.

Bliss.

Liana began fixing tea for both of them. "I don't think this ship has been so quiet in a long time," she said, unconsciously echoing his own train of thought. "Not since you and Kara came aboard, anyway."

"Kara is chaos incarnate at times, isn't she?" he said. "Though yes, I bear some blame for the excitement as well." He took the steaming mug she offered a moment later. "I've been thinking.... Given the recent developments in our friends' lives, perhaps a slight readjustment of the dormitory assignments is in order."

"I agree. It is not fair to you." She considered. "You are welcome to simply switch spaces with Kara, unless it would bother you too much. It does not matter to me."

"I appreciate the offer, but truth be told, I don't need much besides a footlocker, somewhere to wash up, and a space to meditate. I was thinking about perhaps cornering off a small space in the cargo hold, if that's all right."

"If that is truly what you want." Liana looked doubtful. "Are you certain that will be comfortable for you?"

"More than sufficient. And it will allow all of us a modicum of privacy."

They took their tea back to the table.

"Aeron, may I ask you something?" Liana said after a moment of companionable silence.

"Certainly," he said, taking a sip from his mug.

"I have been curious about this for some time, but I've never found a good moment to ask." She hesitated, then gestured toward his face, and the three faint lines there. "The scars that I gave you," she said finally. "Why did you never have them fully healed?"

Aeron set his his mug down. "Because they're a reminder. When we met, I was supremely convinced that I was right. That the world of my books was reality. Then, I met you three." He laughed. "I'm still amazed that you didn't toss me off the ship after Ord Mantell."

Liana sipped her tea. "It was two to one."

Aeron looked surprised. "Kara voted I stay?"

Liana flashed a feline smile that was mostly long pointed teeth. "Two to one in favor of leaving you somewhere, but it is _my_ ship."

They both laughed at that.

"In any event, I got these scars because I failed to understand that while intellect says one thing, often the heart says something very different... and the Force does not speak through our minds. The scars are a reminder to be be less intellectual, and more empathetical."

"I do not believe that's actually a word," Liana chuckled.

"It's not?" The Jedi raised a finger to his chin, stroking his short beard. "Oh my, I do believe you're right."

Suddenly, out in the open air docking bay, sirens began to blare.

"What-?" Liana was instantly on her feet, thanks to her natural agility. She bolted for the cockpit, one hand reflexively on the blaster at her hip.

Aeron followed her, extending his senses through the Force as he did so. "The people outside are beginning to panic," he said, dropping into the co-pilot's seat beside Liana's station, "but I can't ascertain why...."

Liana growled at her console display. "A large number of warships are entering high orbit from out-system," she said, alarmed, rapidly scanning through the sensor and comms readouts. "No one has started shooting yet, but local planetary defense is scrambling."

Aeron took a look at the readouts, then his face went noticeably pale. "Those are Mandalorian Cruisers.... By treaty they shouldn't be anywhere near Republic space!"

"We are a civilian ship, not a Republic one," Liana said. "They should leave us alone. We do nothing, except in self-defense."

"With all due respect, that won't matter...." Aeron's protest was drowned out by a high-pitched scream from the cockpit speakers. A comm-override signal.

When it ended, a harsh modulated voice declared, "This is the Free Mandalorian Vessel Nighthawk to all ships in the Castell system. We have taken effective control of the hyperspace lanes in and out of the area. All ships are instructed to either remain on the ground, or return to planetside docks within one standard hour. Failure to meet this demand will result in the destruction of all airborne vessels and groundside spaceport facilities. This was your only warning."

"A blockade?" Aeron asked. "What in the Force's name do they think they'll accomplish?"

Liana was about to respond when a second voice joined the first.

"This is Commodore Daz Hengil of the Castelli Defense Force. Approaching warships, _you_ are ordered to vacate our territory at once. Your presence here is a violation of the treaty between Mandalore and the Republic. _You_ have half a standard hour to comply."

"Classic case of toxic masculinity there," Aeron noted, just before the Force began screaming at him.

Brilliant flashes of light crossed the noon-day sky as capital ships opened fire at one another and down at the cities and spaceports of Castell. Each flash was followed seconds later by titanic peals of thundering explosions. Aeron had just the barest moment to warn Liana, and then the world whited out and went away.

***

Renn brushed off the edge of what had been his bed once and sat down. He frowned around at the dusty things that made up his old life. He had last lived in this room at age sixteen. It felt like a lifetime ago.

Ori's apartment was a bit cramped for the three of them, especially with the second bedroom not in a usable state. That was why he and Kara had wound up sleeping in her living room. "Clean up your old room and the two of you can sleep in there together and have some privacy," his mother had told him today, before going off to work. "I didn't want to get rid of your old stuff, just in case...." Then she'd smirked at him. "But now that you're here, _you_ can sort through your own junk."

So, here he was, staring at the things he'd left behind six years ago. He hadn't made much progress yet. He wasn't sure where to start. It was a little bit overwhelming. Years' worth of things he hadn't seen since he'd left home.

His first instinct was to throw it all out. Even just a couple of months ago, he'd have done exactly that: burn one more bridge down behind him without even looking back. Forget about who he had been once.

But, he didn't want to do that now. Not anymore. He was starting to reconnect with his old life, to balance his two identities. He might be able to salvage something of both, if he was careful.

Renn shook his head to clear it. He saw something he'd been tinkering with before he'd left, still half-assembled, next to the bed. He picked it up. He didn't even remember what it was supposed to be, although he thought he could figure it out if he took it apart again. 

The computer sitting on the desk nearby was a hacked-together monstrosity of spare parts and upgrades he'd built or scrounged from scrap. He'd always been good at building and improvising. The core of it was a old terminal his father had gotten him when he was younger. A peace offering, after Ori had taken their son and left. Renn had learned from his father how to slice into damn near anything, starting with that computer. It had come naturally to him, as if his brain was wired the right way for it.

Renn looked up just before Kara appeared in the doorway, and saw her stop short to take in the dust and mess.

"I was wondering where you got off to," she said.

"Sorry, Mom told me to clean my room," he said with a wry smile. "Wanna help?"

Kara eyed the dusty junk liberally scattered on every horizontal surface of the room. "Um... sure. Just a second." She retreated. He heard the sink run for a moment before Kara returned with a damp cloth bound around her nose and mouth as proof against the dust. "All right, spacer boy. Let's clean."

He laughed. "It's not that bad!"

Kara picked up a shard of some computer component that had probably been scavenged from a dumpster, and gave him a raised eyebrow. "Am I gonna need shots after this?"

Renn rolled his eyes at her. "No. Well, probably not." Now that he was thinking about it, he hoped there wasn't anything too embarrassing for her to run across in here.

Kara carefully picked her way across the floor to the small night stand next to the bed. She cocked her head in curiosity and lifted the chrono off the table, then picked up a small framed flimsiplast that it had concealed. "What's this?"

"What's what?"

"It's a photograph." Kara studied it. "Oh! Is this you and your parents?" She held it out so he could see.

In the picture, a much younger Taeren, perhaps three years old, sat astride the shoulders of a man who Renn could almost use as a shaving mirror, except that he had blue eyes. Ori stood to their right, with her hand on little Taeren's shoulder. All three seemed to be laughing in pure joy.

"Yeah," he said, surprised. "I forgot I managed to rescue that picture." He smiled wistfully, taking it from her. "It was the only one I had left with all three of us in it."

"What do you mean by 'rescue'?" Kara asked, joining him on the bed and leaning her head against his shoulder.

"Literally. Out of a bin that was going to the trash." Renn sighed. "Mom didn't like to be reminded of him after they split up. She got rid of a lot of things before I realized it."

"Oh," she said sadly. "You don't talk about him much. If you ever want to, I'd like to hear about him." She wrapped her arms around him. "If you don't want to, or can't, I understand that, too."

Renn looked down at the picture again. His memories of those early days were very fuzzy now. Ori had taken him and left his father when he was only about five or six years old, after all. 

Not that it had stopped the arguments. Every time Nahlen came to see his son, they'd picked up again as though they'd never stopped fighting. Theirs had not been an amicable separation.

He remembered one particularly vicious argument. He'd been about ten years old. They'd been talking about him, which was probably why he'd taken notice. Neither of them had realized he'd been lying awake, right here in this same bed, listening to them. 

"He's not a toy, Len. He's a kid. He's our _son_." His mother's voice had been full of cold fire.

"I know that. He's kriffing brilliant, Ori! Have you seen what he can do? He's already better than me."

"That's not hard."

The sound of a fist hitting the wall. "You're being ridiculous!"

"Look, I want you to be part of his life, and he wants you in his life. But it happens on my terms, not yours."

"I just want to take him on a little trip. You know he wants to go."

"No. I won't let you ruin his life like-"

"Like what? Like I ruined yours?"

"No. Like you ruined your own."

"I didn't make you leave, Ori."

"The hell you didn't. You knew I couldn't go down that road with you again. You made your choice." Her voice was a sharp hiss of rage as she snarled at him. "Now get out, before I make you."

The door had opened and shut again. Only then had he heard his mother start crying. She didn't do that often. That's how he knew things were bad....

Renn hesitated, shaking himself out of the memory. Like a lot of things back then, he'd been too young to really understand why his parents were so angry with each other. Now that he was older, he could fill in a lot of blanks, put most of it in perspective. It wasn't a pretty picture.

Kara still held him, as if she knew he needed the comfort. She probably did know. She always knew. He slipped an arm around her. "I wouldn't mind telling you sometime, I think. But... later, okay? It's just, being here again, in this place, it's all a little too... close. I need some time."

She patted his shoulder and rose. "Then let's get back to work." Kara knelt down and started reaching blindly under the bed.

"What are you doing?" Renn asked.

"If the open areas are this bad, I don't even want to know what could be under here."

"Don't you think you're being a little over-dramatic, farm girl?" 

"Nope. Huh, what's this?" Kara sat back, extracting an old holo-journal from under the bed. She stood up and took off her dust cloth.

He recognized it immediately. "Oh, hell!" Renn tried to scramble up to grab it, but she had already turned it on.

She blinked down at the screen. "Oh. Oh my."

"Don't look at that." He made another grab for it, but she twisted away from him.

"Well. I see where you got some of your ideas," she said archly. "Oh. That one looks interesting." She turned the holo-journal around in her hands, peering at it. Then she looked back at him, appraisingly.

"Kara!" She gave him a mischievous grin. He'd expected her to be angry or embarrassed, not... intrigued? Instead of grabbing for the holo-journal again, Renn slipped his arms around her waist from behind. "Page 25," he said in her ear.

Kara blinked and flipped to the page in question. "Um... are you sure you're that flexible?" she asked, eyes wide.

"We could find out," he murmured, kissing the back of her neck. She leaned back against him, letting the holo-journal fall to the bed.

Before anything could progress further, the door chime sounded.

"Hang on," Renn told her, irritated, and went to answer it. 

He opened the door and Meena all but bowled him over, rushing into the room. "Oh, Rennie! Check the news, right now!"

"Huh? Meena? What's wrong?" He barely registered Kara coming into the room behind him. Renn grabbed his datapad and pulled up a news feed. And then he swore viciously when he saw it. "A blockade? Seriously?!"

"I was right? That was where the Wanderer was going?" the Twi'lek asked, her blue eyes worried.

"Yeah." He started pacing, his eyes scanning the datapad. His mind was already running ahead, trying to figure out how this happened, and what the three of them could possibly do to get more information from here.

"Blockade?!" Kara exclaimed. "What do you mean, blockade?"

"The news said a bunch of Mandalorian terrorists seized control of the space lanes near Castell and are blockading the planet," Meena explained. She was fiddling with some dainty piece of cloth as she spoke, slowly shredding it in her worry.

Kara's eyebrows shot up in shock, then she closed her eyes in obvious concentration. "I... I can hear Aeron in the Music, faintly..."

"And Liana?"

Kara gasped. "Nothing. I can't hear Liana at all..."


	3. Triage

Dimly, Aeron was aware of the screaming first.

The smells of burning electrical insulation and general smoke came later, but the screams of wounded people were the first inkling that something was definitely wrong.

The Jedi opened his eyes, though one didn't want to. It felt glued shut by something, probably blood. He was on his side along the starboard bulkhead of the Wanderer's cockpit, and the horizon was decidedly wrong. It shouldn't be perpendicular to the viewport, should it?

He began a quick physical inventory. Yes, he was definitely injured. But he still had two arms, ten fingers, and two legs... though... yes, the left one was broken. Ow... in two places. His ribs felt intact, until he found one that wasn't. Only his long practice with meditative control of his body allowed him to stay awake during that experience. A broken rib is a broken rib after all.

Inventory complete, he turned his attention to Liana. Her presence in the Force was there, but dim. She was probably unconscious, but there was an awful lot of blood that wasn't his.

Liana lay in a heap on the bulkhead behind him, still except for the slight movement of shallow breathing. Her tawny fur was matted with blood. It looked like she had hit her head on something; there was a long gash in front of one of her ears that had left a streak of blood across her face.

It wasn't until he dragged himself closer to her to check for other injuries that he saw the worst of it. A piece of twisted metal had gone right through her upper arm.

That was beyond his ability to heal. Besides, he had no idea if her internal injuries may be more extensive.

Taking as deep a breath as he could around his broken rib, he called out, "B4! Are you functional?"

A clatter of debris was his only answer.

"B4," he tried again, "can you hear me?"

"I... I hear you, Master Aeron. I am attempting to extricate myself from some exposed wiring, and T5."

"Are you fully functional otherwise?"

"We both are, Master Aeron. Are you?"

"I'm incapacitated, but not too seriously. Liana has some shrapnel embedded in her arm and is bleeding from the head."

"Oh, my!" The droid exclaimed. "We will be there to assist you in a... T5, stop that! All your twisting about is not helping! Kindly remove your roller-strut from my face!"

There came several more sounds of distressed droids before a mighty crash of some piled debris.

"B4?!" Aeron shouted in alarm.

"Coming," the droid replied. "T5 was able to cut us free, but the wall and main circuit bank are in a right state, let me tell you..."

"Just grab the medpack by the hatch and get in here!"

"Coming, Master Aeron... coming!" And he could hear the droid's footfalls as he and his counterpart clambered down the companion way toward the cockpit.

"The medbay is not in a usable state," B4 said as he approached. He lifted the medpack and started toward Liana, but T5 almost knocked the larger droid's legs out from under him as the little astromech made a beeline for her, beeping frantically.

Aeron considered. Perhaps it might be easier if they could get outside the damaged ship. "B4, help me up."

The droid sounded alarmed. "Master Aeron?" But he obediently hobbled over and allowed the Jedi to pull himself up.

Leaning on the protocol droid, Aeron reached out with the Force and carefully tried to lift Liana. T5 gave a squeal of alarm as her body started levitating off the bulkhead.

It was slow going, but with one droid supporting him, and the other beeping obnoxiously the whole way, he managed to get all of them out onto the floor of the docking bay.

Where he promptly collapsed, both of them falling to the ground.

"Master Aeron!" B4 said, alarmed.

He waved a hand weakly. "Help her first."

"Yes, Master," B4 demurred and returned to Liana's side. T5 spent the entire time hovering over the Trianii Captain, beeping with worry.

Aeron tried to pass his awareness into himself and determine the extent of his own injuries, but either because of the pain or the chaotic turbulence in the Force about them, he just couldn't achieve the level of focus. As always, sensing himself was hampered by the presence of the block.

He could almost see his Master, standing before him with the look of long-suffering acceptance of his student's shortcomings. Even in absentia, Aeron disappointed him.

Instead, he sent his awareness into Liana. He could at least do that.

"She will be all right, T5," he assured the little droid. "Her internal injuries are all minor. Her presence in the Force is weak, but steady. She will awaken soon."

T5's dome snapped to stare at the Jedi like he'd begun speaking in tongues. The astromech let loose a series of irate beeps and static that probably amounted to, "You're not a doctor, so keep your witchcraft to yourself, Hutt-licker!"

"If you'd like to help her, you _could_ go outside and find some emergency medical personnel," Aeron suggested acidly, his usual politeness slipping a bit as his ribs poked strangely as his insides.

T5 beeped something else that probably didn't bear repeating, turned and left at top speed.

"Philosophical platitudes aside, Master Aeron," B4 said, straightening up with a medi-scanner in hand, "your diagnosis was basically correct. Now lay still while I scan you as well."

"As the doctor orders...."

Perhaps ten minutes passed while B4 poked and prodded. At length, it was about what Aeron had figured. He leaned back against the hull of the ship and shut his eyes.

Only to open them again as T5 literally prodded two humans and a red medical droid with a hover-gurney into the bay at what appeared to be gunpoint.

"Where," Aeron asked in alarm, "did he get _that?"_ But at that point the pain spiked and unconsciousness again claimed him.

***

Renn kept trying to think it through, to stay calm, to come up with some kind of a solution, but his thoughts just kept spiraling back to Liana. Kara had made it sound like....

Frustration boiling over, he suddenly lashed out and punched the wall, eliciting a small squeak of surprise from Meena. He should have been there with her. He should never have left.

Kara cringed. "Thanks," she said, rubbing her now-sore left hand.

"She can't be dead, damn it!" Renn let out a low, angry growl. "I can't even get any comms through to Castell. Everything's being jammed or intercepted. What the hell are we supposed to do from here, with no ship and no way to get to them?!"

"From here?" Kara said, tapping her chin. "We appeal to a higher authority. Come on."

And with that, she turned and headed out the door.

"Where is she going?!" Renn looked at Meena in confusion.

Meena looked uncertain, but then she nodded. "To a higher authority. Come on, Rennie." She pulled him out the door, pausing only long enough to let him lock up.

They followed Kara down the stairs and to a lift, then along the zigzagging course that led to Ori's bar.

The bar was down a busy street, in a small niche of an older building. The interior was all dark wood and actual old brick. It had been a run-down place where no one sane showed their back to the room. Then Ori Ket had bought the place. She'd cleaned up both the bar and its clientele. As she often joked, "It's easier when you're the bartender and bouncer all in one."

The place was relatively empty when the trio came in, but then it was only about mid-afternoon. Kara made straight for the bar. "Ori, how do we get through a Mandalorian blockade?"

"Kara, you know my mother doesn't actually know _everything_ in the galaxy, right?" Renn sighed and rubbed his left hand. Of course, _now_ his hand was starting to ache from his earlier assault on the wall.

Ori glanced between the two of them, then to Meena. "Is there a _reason_ for all this or is it just an academic curiosity thing?"

Meena explained about the Wanderer being behind the blockade on Castell, and Kara's inability to sense Liana.

"Ah," Ori said when she was finished. "Well, first, you could hop a ride on a ship authorized to pass through the blockade. Second, you get a ship with some legs and good shields and try to _run_ the blockade. Third, you could talk to Wagner over there." She indicated a rotund human in spacers' togs sitting at a table in the corner.

"Him?" Kara asked. "What can he do?"

"He used to run with the Raxilo pirate gang. Best ship thieves in the galaxy, and they had a talent for getting in where they shouldn't." She turned to her son in smug satisfaction.

Renn rolled his eyes. "Okay. Fine. And why exactly would he help us?"

Ori gave him a level look. "Think, son. Do you _really_ want an answer to that question?"

"His tab's that big, huh?" Renn shook his head. "Get him another round, on me."

Then he headed over to the man's table, trying to put his worry for Liana aside for a bit. Act like it's a client. "Hey there, are you Wagner?" He smiled.

"Depends who's askin'," the big man replied.

"My mother was just telling me about you." He nodded over toward Ori at the bar. "She said you might be able to do us a favor." Just then, Ori brought two fresh drinks over, setting one in front of each of them.

"Favor for favor?" Wagner asked Ori. She nodded.

"Well alrigh' then, Mr. Ori's Son. Plop yerself down and tell me whatya need."

Ori turned as Renn moved to sit, but she put a hand on his shoulder. "Be straight with him, Renn. He's a good sort. I know where to find him if he isn't."

Wagner swallowed, hard.

"All right, then." Renn sat down and lifted his glass in salute. "We need to get to Castell."

Wagner shrugged. "Hire a ship."

"Through the blockade the Mandos set up around the system?"

"Oh, yeah. Tha' does sort of complicate matters. Afore we go any further, who's 'we'?"

"Me and the blonde by the bar."

Meena put her fists on her hips. "And me!" 

Renn looked up, surprised. Kara and Ori both looked at her too. "You sure?" he asked. She nodded firmly. He sighed. "And her, apparently."

"Jus' the three of ya?" the man asked. "Any cargo? Droids, stuff like tha'?"

"Nope," Renn said. "Just small personal gear."

"Well then... lemme think 'bout this." Wagner rubbed his jaw and pondered, then he shouted over to the bar. "Ori, darlin', this pays off Ord Cestus AND Tangreen, ya?"

She shook her head. "Cestus. And your tab for the month."

"Yer a heartless cruel one, ya know tha' righ'?"

"It's why you love me and you know it," she shot back.

Wagner laughed. "'Tis true, 'tis true. Alrigh' Mr. Ori's Son. We 'ave a deal. Be at dockin' bay 2187 in four hours...." He considered again. "Nah, make tha' ten. Gonna need a bit to sober up."

Renn looked at Kara. "Ten hours work for you?"

She nodded.

"Done and done, Wagner."

"Great," the spacer said and shakily got to his feet. "Now, if'n you'll ascuze meh... I find meself in need of a stiff pot o' caf." He trundled off, out of the bar and into the street.

"Ori, are you _sure_ he's our best bet?" Meena asked.

"Wagner? Yup. He doesn't look like much, I'll grant you. But he'll get you to Castell. You three got bigger problems though."

"Oh?" Kara asked. "What problems?"

"Which one of you is gonna tell Meena's mother that the visit just got cut short?"

***

They were supposed to be getting some sleep in the intervening time before they went to meet Ori's friend at the docking bay, but Kara woke from a restless doze after only a few hours. She found the blankets that Renn had been using as a makeshift bed on the floor were still empty. She could feel that he was nearby, though, and... something was wrong. She got up to look for him.

She found him in his old bedroom again. He'd gotten to work on cleaning some more, and he'd made pretty good progress. The dusty blankets and sheets were shoved into one corner of the room, and he was sitting on the edge of the bare mattress, sorting junk into piles on the floor. She closed the door behind her as she stepped inside.

"Did you sleep at all?" she asked.

Renn looked up at her and shook his head. "Tried. Couldn't." He laughed a little, but his heart wasn't in it. "I figured I might as well do something constructive. Just in case."

She looked over the piles, and noticed his family picture sitting in the smallest one, along with a couple of old holo-discs. "Renn!" she cried in dismay.

He followed her gaze. "Don't worry, that's the 'keep' pile. That's coming with me."

"Good." Mollified, Kara stepped carefully around the piles and sat down next to him on the bed.

Renn dropped the old computer part he was holding onto one of the other piles, then stared down at his now-empty hands. He was a ball of nerves and tension right now. She didn't need their bond to know that. He was blaming himself, again, for something that couldn't possibly be his fault.

She pulled him into an embrace. "I'm right here, Renn," she said softly. "Let me carry this with you."

He didn't say anything else, only wrapped his arms tightly around her, and bent his head to hers. When he kissed her, Renn poured a conflicted, tangled storm of emotions into her over the bond: worry, fear, frustration, desire. He wanted to be with her now, but he felt guilty that they were safe when their friends might be hurt... or worse.

"I don't want to be alone right now either," she whispered. She pushed him down to the mattress and kept kissing him. This was a different need. More about comfort than passion, about the two of them feeling alive together in this moment, knowing that soon they would face danger again for the sake of their family. 


	4. Cornered

Liana awoke in confusion. She didn't know where she was, only that it was not her ship.

Suddenly, she remembered a flash of white, and everything going sideways. She tried to sit up, startled, but found herself connected to machines and unable to move much. A hospital bed. Her arm hurt, and her head was pounding.

She heard an excited beeping nearby. T5 hovered at her bedside. Well, that was good. She dropped one hand to rest atop his dome. "Where's the ship?" she asked.

She understood enough of his long tirade of beeps and squeals. Damaged in the attack.

"Aeron and B4?"

The little astromech beeped out something rude. She chuckled weakly. "Be nice," she scolded.

"Captain Liana!" B4 came tottering into the room. "It is good to see you awake."

"I am glad to see you undamaged," she said. "Is Aeron all right?"

"He is stable, Captain, in the next room. He sustained some injuries and some broken bones. I am afraid the hospital staff gave him a rather large dose of painkillers, so he is not currently awake."

"I see." She thought for a moment. It seemed they were stuck here, with this blockade in place and the ship damaged. "Is there any way for us to get communications off-world?"

"I have been unable to determine that, Captain. I attempted to send a message to Master Renn but received no acknowledgment."

She nodded. It was likely these Mandalorians were intercepting transmissions, especially if they had seized control of the planet's infrastructure. Assuming the situation had made the galactic news feeds... if he were not able to make contact with the Wanderer or her crew, Liana knew Renn would assume the worst. He would probably plan something incredibly stupid to try to reach them. Either that or Kara would go charging off without a plan at all, which might actually be worse.

"What happened to the ship?" she asked at last.

"It was not struck by a direct blast, but caught in the shockwave of one nearby. The ship was knocked over several times, as well as hit by falling debris. I was not able to determine the full extent of the damage before we left."

"Ah." Her heart sank. Her poor home. She wondered if anything would be salvageable.

"From what I could observe," the droid continued, "it appeared the frame and engines were mostly intact. Despite the hull breaches, the damage seems largely repairable, but that's only supposition."

"Even if we could fix it," she said, almost more to herself, "we would be stuck here until this blockade is ended."

T5 made a low beep that almost sounded... worried. He gently butted his dome against her hand.

She patted the astromech. "We'll figure something out."

The little droid let out an electronic sigh. Then, reassured that Liana was going to live, he rolled over to the other side of the room and plugged into a wall socket to recharge.

Soon, the door to her room opened and a nurse poked his head in. "Oh, you're awake. Good. How are you feeling, Miss Liana?"

Liana considered the question. "My head and arm hurt," she admitted. She realized she'd been so worried for Aeron and her ship that she hadn't asked B4 about her own injuries. "What happened to me?"

The nurse entered the room and came over to her bedside. "Well, your friend in the next room and your droids brought you in. Someone went and shoved a great big piece of metal through your upper arm, and you had one doozy of a concussion." He checked the readouts of the machines she was attached to and adjusted the intravenous drip. "We got you de-shrapneled and applied a kolto patch to the wound. It didn't hit anything major but it was a nasty pair of gashes."

"Pair?" The drugs hit her system. Whoa, whatever was in that drip, it was potent.

"Oh yeah," the nurse said, "entrance and exit wound. You are one damn lucky lady. You'll just have some nifty scars, and it'll probably ache in cold or wet weather for a while."

Now she was glad she'd been unconscious for that. "Thank you," she said.

The nurse sighed. "Don't thank me yet. Now that you're awake, I need to ask you if you'd mind moving next door with your friend. We're packed to the gills with patients right now, and we need the space."

"Of course not," she said. "I understand."

The nurse made some more adjustments and then helped Liana into a comfortable hover chair before taking her out into the hallway.

A commotion at the end of the hallway caught her attention. A trio of black- and red-armored Mandalorians stood near a stack of crates. Their leader was speaking with several hospital employees.

"...those damn Clan Ordo _noski_ ," one said. "They got us in this mess..."

His comrade agreed. "Tell me about it. But they're calling the shots, right?"

"Shut your mouths and do your jobs," the leader, a female, commanded. "Go start checking patient IDs for anyone on the list. If anyone pitches a fit..."

"Shoot 'em," said the first.

"No, Lodus," the woman said shortly. "Behave. In deference to our good relations with the Castelli government. We stun them and take them in for questioning."

"They started landing troops an hour or so ago," the nurse told Liana quietly. "Come on, let's get you situated." He brought her to Aeron's door and helped the hover chair inside.

Liana was thinking quickly. "Please, did my friend have his identi-card or any... unusual technological items on his person when we were brought in?"

The nurse gave Liana a level look. "Just his lightsaber. It's in the drawer over there."

"Ah. Thank you," she said, opening the drawer and withdrawing Aeron's weapon. "T5?"

He beeped and opened a panel in his side, extending one of his repair arms to take it from her.

"Keep it safe," she ordered. "No using it yourself."

The droid retorted something that sounded amazingly like "no promises."

Meanwhile, the nurse produced Aeron's electronic ID card, and it also went into T5's stash. "This," he said in flat certainty, "is never going to work."

Liana shook her head. "It will be fine," she said. "T5, why don't you hide on the other side of the bed, just in case, so you're not visible from the door?" The little droid obediently rolled over.

She checked her belt with her uninjured arm. She didn't have her blaster, but she did still have her own identi-card, at least. That should be enough to confirm her as a civilian, and not a citizen of the Republic.

Just then, the door slid open, and the armored Mandalorians stepped inside.

The nurse obediently handed over his own identification. The armor-clad figures checked it over, then nodded. "You can go."

"But, I haven't finished-"

"You. Can. Go." The woman rested her hand on the butt of her blaster and the nurse took the hint.

When the nurse had gone, the leader looked at Liana. One of her cohorts asked, "Trouble?"

"I am a civilian cargo freighter owner," Liana said. "I have identification. May I?" At the leader's nod, she produced her card from the pouch on her belt.

"And him?" asked one of the other Mandalorians, nodding toward the unconscious Aeron.

"He is crew aboard my ship. His card was lost when we were injured."

"Right," the armored brute said. He took Liana's card and inserted it in his datapad.

Liana tried not to look nervous. Don't show fear to predators, even if you _are_ one....

The datapad beeped. "Cait?" he said, showing the pad to this commander.

She took it. "Well... _osi'kyr!"_ she swore in a tone of disbelief. She looked at Aeron again and in less than a second, the pad clattered to the floor and both her blasters were trained on Liana and Aeron.

"We bagged us a kriffing _Jedi,_ boys...." Blue stun bolts flashed and Liana knew no more.

***

"Nahlen?!"

It took Renn entirely too long to realize that Meena's mother had called _him_ by his father's name. He froze, and she stared at him in equal shock from the doorway of her apartment.

He and Kara had come by to pick up Meena on their way to the docking bay. He hadn't been expecting to run into her mother. It must be her day off from work.

"Oh," she said with a gasp, realization dawning on her face. "Tae!" And then she hugged him.

He hugged her back. "Hey, Daesha." The two of them hadn't been as close as Meena was to Ori, but she was still practically family. The older Twi'lek was almost as beautiful as her daughter, even well into her forties. Although she had lines around her eyes and at the corners of her mouth, subtle signs that hers had not been an easy life.

"I wasn't sure what to think of what Meena told me," she said. "But I'm glad you're alive." She released him, looking curiously at Kara.

"Daesha, this is my girlfriend, Kara. Kara, this is Meena's mother, Daesha."

Daesha looked Kara over, surprised. "I see," she said finally. He couldn't tell if that meant she approved or not. He knew, when they'd been younger, that she'd half-hoped that he and Meena would settle down together. He had no idea if Meena had told her mother the truth about herself yet. She'd been scared to when she was sixteen.

Renn _could_ tell the scrutiny was making Kara uncomfortable. He put an arm around her waist, a little protectively, and attempted to deflect the attention. "How's Pol doing?" he asked.

Daesha sighed. "He's well, but he's still out for another month. He's going to miss seeing Meena when he gets back." Her expression turned sour. Meena must have already told her mother that she was leaving again. "You're a bad influence on that girl, Taeren Ket," she said darkly.

"Hey, she said she wanted to come," he replied, defensive. "It's her decision, not mine."

Daesha looked on the verge of tears. "It's not enough you put her through everything else you did, but now you're taking her away again, who knows where...."

Renn had no idea how to respond to that, and looked away from her, feeling vaguely guilty. He _had_ suddenly come back into Meena's life and destroyed it, after all.

"Mama, quit talking about me like I'm not even here," Meena said, coming into the living room from the back of the apartment. She was dressed for travel, in one of those form-fitting jumpsuits she favored, and she held a bag with both hands. "It's just like Rennie said. I asked to go. I want to help them."

Daesha bit her lip, but said nothing.

"I'll be fine, I promise." Meena dropped her bag on the floor and hugged her mother.

Kara stepped forward. "Mrs. Lanu? We're going because Liana and Aeron are our family. I lost my blood kin over a year ago, but the lot of us, we've sort of formed our own. And there's nothing more important to me than this new family we've built for ourselves. I promise you, on the names of my parents, that Meena will make it home to you alive."

Meena's mother looked at Kara for a long time, her expression unreadable, then finally nodded. "Be safe," she said quietly, kissing her daughter on the cheek. "All of you." Meena hugged her, then bent to pick up her bag again and joined them out in the hallway.

When the apartment door closed behind her, Meena made a face. "Sorry about her. She's... not very happy with me right now."

"You really don't have to come, Meena," Renn said. "It's okay."

She shook her head. "It's important to you, and you're my friends. I don't know if I'll be any use to you. But I really do want to help."

Kara laughed. "My father used to say, 'Willingness is often the best qualification.' Let's move."

An hour later, they reached docking bay 2187. The ship sitting inside was a long, needle shaped craft. Pairs of pod-like appendages just aft of the central cockpit module and just forward of the stern gave it the appearance of a long, skinny animal, poised for a race.

Wagner met them just inside the bay as the trio stood looking at the craft. "Behold," he said. "The Violator. She's perfec' for our needs, all engine. This girl could outrun time herself if the need so arose."

'Well,' Renn thought to himself, 'at least he sobered up.'

"This all yer bringin'?" Wagner asked hm.

"Yeah," Renn said. Aside from the gear on his belt - his blaster and some tools - he only had one bag with him, and that was almost all practical gear, plus a handful of small things he'd wanted to keep from his mother's apartment. Meena had also brought a bag with her. He looked over at Kara, who was holding a bag of her own. "You ready?" he asked, taking her hand.

She nodded. "Let's go."

Wagner took them up the ramp. "You three can drop your stuff in there," he said indicating a main hold surprisingly reminiscent of the Wanderer's. "This whole area's cleared for your access, but stay ou' tha' engine room an' tha' cockpit. It's a three-hour jump ta Castell, so ge' comfy."

With that, he headed up to the cockpit.

Kara folded herself into one of the acceleration chairs that ringed the cabin's small central table. "I'm going to try and find Aeron and Liana again," she said, and then she closed her eyes, light years away in an instant.

Renn sat near Kara and tried to clear his own mind, the way he'd been working on with Aeron, so he wouldn't distract her too much. Meena blinked at him, looking surprised, then curled up quietly in one of the other chairs.

The Violator shakily rose into the air, and as its engines shook the cabin with their power, it tore off into the void.

***

Kara's search yielded only disturbingly vague results.

As they neared, she found both her friends in the Music, but neither Sang loudly. She couldn't tell if they were just asleep or worse. But at least they were alive... for now.

Worst of all, though... as they neared, a harshly discordant note rose. It got stronger and stronger as they approached Castell. She had heard a note such as this only once in her life, the day her family died.

It only intensified her desire to get to Castell as quickly as possible.

It felt like a day and a half later but was only about two hours before Wagner reappeared. "Well, payin' customers. 'Tis time ta' be makin' our preparations. If y'all will follow me..."

He led them astern, to a cluster of what looked like single-person escape pods. "Hop in, if ya' please. One body, er, person per pod."

"Oh, hell," Renn said, a note of panic in his voice.

"Renn?" Kara asked in sudden concern. His fear came through so clearly over their bond, she was amazed he was still standing there.

"I really wish I'd known this was the plan beforehand," he said. He took a deep breath. "I... don't know if I can get in there. Last time I was in one of these, I almost died."

"Here." She took both of his hands in hers and flooded their bond with as much peace and assurance as she could. "It's all right. Today is not then."

From where he stood, Wagner sneered. "Actually, I'd be lyin' if I said this was the safes' ting ta be doin'..."

"You," Meena said, eyes flashing, "are _not_ helping."

"It's for Liana, right?" Renn squeezed Kara's hands. "I'll be okay." He nodded, almost more to himself.

"Sure ya will," Wagner said in his blustery manner. "Now, hop in afore we pop out of hyperspace and I have ta' start making this pretty ship dance."

Meena slid into the first pod and Wagner sealed her in.

"You next, Renn, all right?" Kara asked.

"Right," he said. Renn leaned in and kissed her, almost as if he was steeling himself, taking strength from her. Then, with trepidation, he climbed into the escape pod and closed his eyes, not wanting to watch as he was sealed inside.

Kara hopped into the last one and Wagner sealed it shut. The pod was completely dark inside, which explained the fresh surge of panic from Renn. She tried to calm him... and a moment later, a screen in front of her lit up with a display, probably from the cockpit of the Violator.

Wagner was seated at the pilot's station, and was talking to someone via the comm headset that Kara couldn't see.

"Oh, aye," he was saying. "Yer party is more than welcome ta' come aboard, Cruiser Nigh'awk. However, I should warn ye, tha' I be carrying bio samples for the central hospital down on Castell... we're supposed ta' maintain quarantine..."

"Irrelevant, freighter," a new voice said over the speaker. "Our inspection team will come aboard, assess your cargo, and then you will return the way you came."

"Bu' if I do tha', I lose the _whole_ contrac'! Thousands of credits I sorely need ta' feed m' family! Can' we make some sor' a deal?"

"We _could_ just blow you out of space for target practice?" the person on the other end suggested.

Renn's and Meena's feelings of helplessness both spiked. Obviously, they were seeing the same vid feed.

"Oh, negative, negative, Nigh'awk. I'll just be on me way then. Waive off yer boarding party. Wouldn'a wan' yer men gettin' the Yeshan Pox an blamin ol Cap'n Jac, now, would we?"

"Our sensors show you've come about, freighter. Hold position! Hold position or we will open fire!"

And then, Kara felt smashed into her feet as the escape pod she was in was fired into the blackness of space. Suddenly she could see Castell, a great blue orb in space... and the Mandalorian cruisers ringing the world. They fired searing bolts of energy at the rapidly retreating Violator.

Through her viewport Kara also saw dozens of other bits of cargo and escape pod debris, all of it scattered in the wake of the freighter as camouflage. The Mandalorians were ignoring the debris and focusing on the fleeing ship, which always stayed just out of their range. As her pod passed the line of ships and entered the atmosphere, Kara was buffeted by increasingly awful turbulence, but she saw the freighter jump away, just as fire obscured the viewport.

***

It was not a gentle landing.

The escape pod crashed into the planet below, going entirely too fast.

_That man is insane,_ Renn thought, fumbling for the release for the escape pod hatch. He needed to get out of this thing. The pod popped open, and he spilled out onto the bare earth of the impact crater.

He lay there a moment, panting, coming to terms with the fact that he was still alive. He didn't think he was injured, beyond some uncomfortable bruising. His breathing slowed as the panic ebbed. Right. He was okay. He was alive. Now he just needed to find Kara and Meena.

He carefully levered himself to his unsteady feet, and looked around for signs of the other escape pods. Hopefully they hadn't landed too far away from his. At least the area around them was fairly flat grassland. It should be easy to spot the other landing sites.

There. He thought that smoke plume not too far in the distance might be one of them. He grabbed his bag out of the escape pod behind him, and then made his way toward it.

It was Meena's pod, he saw when he neared it. His friend was in much the same shape he'd been in: lying on the ground on her back, breathing hard, her eyes wide. "Rennie?" she asked, as he came into view. "Am I dead?"

"No," he chuckled, helping her up. "At least, I don't think so." He could almost feel Kara nearby, which was reassuring, but he still hadn't seen any sign of her pod. He scanned the horizon for another crash site beside his own.

"You know," Meena said, "I'm starting to think I should have changed my mind and stayed home."

Kara came over the small rise just west of them, and she was soaking wet. "Damn fool shot me into a lake," she said, grumbling. "Renn, where are we?"

Renn crouched down and focused on getting his datapad out of his bag. It was difficult not to notice Kara's clothes clinging to her. They didn't have time for that right now, though.

He set the datapad down on the ground and projected a map of the planet's surface over its display. Small dots indicated the comlinks worn by the three of them. No dots appeared for either Aeron or Liana; their comlinks must have been too far away to be detected... or else they were deactivated or destroyed. He didn't want to think about that scenario. He quickly zoomed out to show more of the nearby terrain.

"It looks like there's a fairly large city a few miles northeast of us. Maybe the capital." He looked up at Kara. "Can you get a direction?"

Kara closed her eyes. "Yes," she said after a moment, and pointed. "But it's not strong. I think they're somewhere in that city."

"Convenient," Meena said. "Should we get going, or do you want to change clothes first?"

"Everything I brought is soaked, too."

"Don't worry! Got you covered! Rennie, stay put. We'll be right back."

Renn just smirked at his girlfriend.

"Eyes front, soldier," Kara said archly, as she and Meena went back over the rise a little, out of sight.

Renn took the opportunity to survey the area once more. They were too exposed here. They needed to get out of the open as quickly as possible, before someone came to investigate the smoking debris.

Speak of the devil and they appear. Three large speeders topped the ridge to the south, coming fast.

Diving behind the wreckage of Meena's pod, Renn tapped his comlink. "Ladies, we've got company. Three speeders. They'll be here any second."

And just like that, they were on him. The trio of craft surrounded the crash site before their hatches opened. Over a dozen fully armed and armored Mandalorians jumped out of the three vehicles.

One of them leveled a pair of wicked looking blasters at him. "Freeze! Come on out, slowly. There's nowhere to run." It was a woman, judging by the voice that emerged from the helmet.

"Seems like an awful lot of you just for one person," Renn quipped. He knew if he tried to start something, he would be dead before he even drew his blaster, so he didn't bother. He was going to have to stall for time.

"We tracked three pods," the female Mando retorted. She seemed to be the leader of the group. "That means you're stalling until your two friends either get away, or attack. So all three of you come out, or... _one."_ She swiftly stiched a perfect veil of blaster fire across the edges of the Renn's cover. "All of us go fluff-tail hunting. Your call, Fluffy."

"You might not enjoy that," Renn said. _Now would be nice, Kara_ , he thought, ducking further down below the pod.

"Not if you keep giving us such lousy sport, Fluffy. _Two!"_ This time, both her and another of her troops opened fire. From the sound, the other had a heavy blaster rifle. Parts of the pod were beginning to melt and sag.

"At the next count," she called again, "we _all_ open fire. I'd give that hulk about four seconds...."

Renn stuck his head out just in time to see Kara crest the rise with a yell. Her golden lightsaber blades lit in staff-configuration, she took the first Mando she met by surprise and left him literally beside himself.

The next actually managed to survive, but his rifle didn't. It fell in chunks and she whirled, planting a powerful kick to the center of his chest and throwing him back off his feet in a heap before moving on to Number Three.

Three, Four _and_ Five were all on the ground before Renn's blaster had even cleared its holster.

Six and Seven both had wisely dropped their blasters and gone for long vibroblades. They managed to parry her blows but only just. As Eight and Nine joined them, Renn opened fire. His shots hit Eight square in the back and Nine in the side of the helmet as he was turning around.

Kara's blade split into twin configuration and she dealt swiftly with Six and Seven, but then their leader's voice rang out again across the battlefield. _"Hold! All of you!_ Or she has a real bad day."

Renn whirled toward the female Mando. She had Meena on the ground before her, with a blaster to their friend's temple.

Everyone stopped in their tracks, but Kara didn't close down her blades, and Renn stayed in cover.

"You, Jedi," the Mando leader demanded. "Are you kin of Selene Bladedancer?"

Kara looked like she was considering her answer, or maybe correcting the 'Jedi' label, but at length she nodded. "I am. My name is Kara Tao Vanden."

"I am Cait, of Clan Rook," the Mandalorian said. She took her weapon from Meena's temple, but still kept her covered. "In Selene's name, if you stand down, I will offer you and your companions safe conduct to the city. I ask for a truce to discuss the matter."

***

The grand Senate building, the center of the Republic, was always a bit underwhelming from the outside. It was just a squat, dark gray mushroom in the center of an open plaza of durocrete. It was the inside that left new visitors in awe.

The interior was made up primarily of darkened metal, reflections kept to a minimum by matte coatings. The few lights lent the room a somber tone, which only allowed the Senators themselves to shine all the brighter. The vast cone-shaped main chamber was ringed with senatorial boxes. Each row was staggered so the ring below was slightly offset. The effect produced an intense sense of movement to the eye, swirling down toward the center: the Chancellor's spire. From the apex of the spire, the chief executive of the Republic, and his guests and staff, kept the center of galactic government functioning.

It was to this center of political power that Jedi Master Valen Kell had come. He sat at the right hand of the Chancellor, his white robes resplendent, almost aglow against the darkness.

At the moment, the Majordomo was droning on about protocol. Some minor question had arisen and needed to be addressed before he could say what had brought him here from distant Solara.

This was blasted inefficient, even if it was necessary to the overall plan. Thankfully, soon the puppet theater known as politics would be vastly simplified. Then, perhaps, the Republic could function as it should.

"And now," the Chancellor finally said, "I yield the floor to Master Valen Kell of the Jedi Order, who has come before us to speak about the situation on Castell."

Rising and bowing his head to the Chancellor, Kell stepped forward. "Distinguished members of the Senate," he began in his rough, scarred voice, "nearly half a century ago, the warriors of Mandalore began a swift and bloody war. It was a conflict that consumed the Rim, and could have easily seen Coruscant itself in flames.

"At that time, the Jedi Council regretfully turned their back on the needs of the galaxy. It wasn't until Revan herself led a faction of Jedi into battle, against orders, that the Republic military had a chance to rally and eventually repel the invaders.

"I come before you today to say that history has begun to repeat itself. A renegade faction of the Mandalorian military, a terrorist group calling themselves the 'Free Mandalorian Fleet', have seized control of the world of Castell, in direct violation of the treaty between Manadalore and the Republic."

Kell raised both hands. "The Jedi will _not_ stand idle and allow the mistakes of the past to shed the blood of the present. Though we are not nearly as numerous as we once were, what strength we have, we pledge in defense of Republic territory...."

One of the senatorial boxes, belonging to the delegation from Chandrila, detached itself and floated out into the vast chamber, orbiting around the Chancellor's spire.

This was trouble. Talliana Fran, the senator of Chandrila, was the head of the largest pacifist faction among the senators. If she rallied her supporters, the Senate would bog down in procedure until the window to act was long past.

The Chancellor spoke sharply. "The chair does _not_ recognize the delegation from Chandrila at this time."

"My lord Chancellor," Fran insisted, "a point of order regarding Master Kell's exhortation to war."

The Chancellor sighed. "Master Kell, will you yield the floor for the point of order to be addressed?"

Kell turned to eye Senator Fran, and the Jedi advisor who stood at her shoulder. Kell placed his hand spread wide over his heart and bowed to the chancellor. "Gladly." He then turned back to the delegation and bowed once more with his thumb tucked inward. "I yield to the wise Senator from Chandrila."

The cloaked figure beside Fran returned the bow, thumb inward as well.

The Chancellor sat back down in resignation. "Very well, Senator Fran, proceed."

Senator Fran took a moment to gather her thoughts, and then proceeded. "Master Kell correctly cites the nature of Revan's intervention. We of Chandrila wish to add that he has perhaps understated the dire state the Republic found itself in during the Mandalorian War. We will not allow politics to encumber the swift response this situation requires. We stand with the Jedi."

The chamber was stone silent.

"We stand with the Jedi!" Fran repeated.

A few voices echoed "We stand with the Jedi...."

Fran repeated her call, exhorting her fellow senators with demonstrative waves of both fists.

"WE STAND WITH THE JEDI!" roared the the assembled government of the Republic.

The vote to retake Castell, when called, was unanimous.


	5. Return

Kara closed down her lightsabers and looked at the Mandalorian leader. "In Selene's name?"

The woman nodded. "Yes. Selene Bladedancer is a figure of honor among my clan. As her descendant, you are to be regarded with equal honor... if you are judged worthy."

"And how, pray tell, do you determine that?" Renn spat. His eyes kept tracking from her gun to Meena's crumpled form on the ground.

"Kara Tao Vanden has proven her strength of arms upon the field," she shot back, the venom coming through her helmet's speaker. "And that her soul is honorable by respecting the call for parlay. If _you_ will holster your weapon, then we can behave in a more... civilized manner."

Renn looked hesitant.

"Do it, Renn," Kara said, without taking her eyes from the Mandalorian. "I hear nothing but honesty from her."

Reluctantly, Renn stuffed his blaster back in its holster and took a step back, relaxing into a less combative stance.

The Mandalorian did likewise. "Excellent," she said, lifting off her helmet as well. Her skin was deeply tanned, and her hair the color of sunset, just before the fall of night. A short, thin scar ran down the front of her right cheek. Her eyes were like a polar sea. "As I said earlier, I am Cait of Clan Rook. I am honored to make your acquaintance, Kara Tao Vanden."

Cait bent and offered a hand, and a smile, to Meena. "And to meet you as well, Miss. You have a brave soul."

Meena blinked up at the offered hand for a moment, then looked over at her friends. Finally, she took the woman's hand and climbed unsteadily to her feet. "Um, thanks," she said, clearly confused by the sudden change in status of her captor.

Cait smiled again, then called to one of her troops. "Gat! Stop trying to intimidate that man and get a medevac out here for our wounded!"

The man who'd been sidling up behind Renn froze. "Already called, Sis!" he said, removing his helmet as well. He was a bigger, beefier version of his sister, but his hair was shorn so short it was almost non-existent. "Besides, I wasn't trying to intimidate him!"

Renn eyed the Mandalorian who'd been coming up behind him, and snorted. "I thought that clan name sounded familiar," he said. "Gat Rook. It's been, what, three years?" He held out a hand to the Mandalorian man, who clasped it firmly.

"About. How have you been, Renn Falani?" Gat said. "Got the fifty credits you owe me from that pazaak game?"

Renn rolled his eyes.

Kara looked at him in amazement. "Is there _anywhere_ in the galaxy where you _don't_ know somebody?"

Renn shrugged. "Never been to Hoth..."

Meena looked around her in utter confusion. "Will someone please tell me what is going on?"

"Soon," Cait promised. Even now, a large armored lift van was cresting the rise. "If you will all please follow me, we will take one of our speeders to our ship, where we can discuss such things in comfort."

***

Kara wasn't at all sure what she'd expected, but the speeder ride through the capital city of Castell was more like a short jaunt with friends than a trip through an occupied city. The two Mandalorians sat in the front of the speeder, with herself, Renn, and Meena in the back.

When Venaar's Sith troops had occupied Othani spaceport on Derra IV, there were soldiers on every corner and checkpoints along every major street. There was none of that here.

The few Mandalorians she saw were less patrolling than strolling along the streets. The civilian population still gave them a wide berth, but it was more respectful than fearful. She even saw a pair of the armored men playing tag with a large clutch of local children.

"This is an... unusual invasion," she observed to their hosts.

The man driving the speeder — Gat, Renn had called him — snorted. "This isn't an invasion, this is _shore leave."_

"What?" Meena asked with a confused note in her voice.

"We aren't here to conquer anyone, Miss Lanu," Cait explained. "The blockade was intended as a peaceful protest of the sanctions which are crushing Mandalore. The Castelli are still in charge of their government and their society. We just aren't allowing any any traffic to land or leave the planet."

"Then, explain the firefight with the Castelli defense force and the damage to the city," Renn said, "and why all planetary communications are jammed."

Cait turned in her seat. "Jammed? Are you sure? Planetary channels should be open," she said in extreme confusion. "The Fleet leadership has had nigh-constant contact with the Republic."

Kara gave her a flat look. "We wouldn't have had to sneak onto Castell if we could have just gotten a comm channel to our friends here."

Cait and Gat traded a concerned look. "Ordo is lying to us, maybe?" he asked her.

Cait snorted. "That's nothing new."

"You never answered Renn's first question," Meena interjected. "If this is peaceful, why did you open fire on the city?"

"We weren't supposed to," Gat said. "Clan Ordo are the ones seeing to the orbital blockade itself. The Castelli forces attacked them to try and break the blockade, which was stupid because they were outnumbered three to one."

"Ordo's gunners weren't terribly precise in their counterattack," Cait said. "Had they been my men, I'd have spaced the lot of them for being that sloppy. Making war against the Republic, against their military, is one thing. Only cowards attack civilians."

In the Music, Kara heard Cait's Song tinge with disgust. Honor and duty were the cornerstones of her life, Kara realized. Although she would carry out her obligations to her Clan and her people, she obviously didn't agree with what had happened here.

"You say this was a protest," Kara began carefully. "About what exactly?"

Cait sighed. "At the end of our war, the Republic forced a puppet government they'd set up on Mandalore to sign a peace treaty. The treaty included steep reparations, and the disbanding of the Mandalorian military."

"Which is where it began," Gat said. "The disbanding shattered our culture. Clans began splitting off from the larger Mandalorian society. They wanted to hold onto what was theirs, not just from the war but from ages long past, too. And what with the reparations taking the vast majority of our people's wealth and resources, the Clans soon began fighting each other."

"Over prestige? Honor?" Meena asked with a sniff.

Cait turned and glared at her. "Food. Mandalore itself has never been a rich world, but when the Republic was done with it, it was barely a shadow of what it had been. The strong held sway, and the poor starved."

"Hence, the blockade?" Renn asked. "How does pointing a gun at someone's head help your people?"

"Because all the other avenues are blocked." Cait's Song was so full of regret, Kara almost wept. "The Free Mandalorian Fleet is our people's last hope. We've tried to appeal to the Republic for relief. Hell, we even sent a deputation to beg the Senate to allow us to keep our harvest this year. Last winter was... harsh."

"And," Meena asked, "what happened?"

Gat snarled back, "They were expelled from Coruscant and a punitive expedition sent to Mandalore for violation of treaty terms."

Cait's tone was equally hostile, but also rang with resignation. "We know this is probably not going to end well, but if we're going out, it will be on our feet, in battle, not starving on our knees."

The speeder pulled into a large shipyard facility. "Here we are," Gat said.

The ship Cait had mentioned turned out to be a grounded Mandalorian Cruiser. "One of the Castelli Defense Force ships got in a few lucky shots," Gat complained as they went up the gangplank. "So our beloved Phoenix is down here for repairs...."

They were conducted through the ship to a low-ceilinged room filled with long tables and benches, as well as several small round tables surrounded by comfortable looking chairs. Cait sank gratefully into one of these. "Please, be seated, my new friends. You are here as guests. Can we bring you something? Food? Drink? We don't have a lot, but we can spare ration packs for guests."

Renn's stomach suddenly rumbled at the mention of food. "It has been awhile since we ate," he said, sitting down to try and hide his embarrassment.

Meena agreed, sitting on one side of him. She fiddled idly with a tear in her jumpsuit sleeve, probably from the escape pod crash.

Kara sat down on Renn's other side. "It has been one heck of a day...."

"So, Lady Vanden," Cait began.

Kara went rigid. No one had called her that since... since Venaar. Renn reached over and squeezed her hand without saying anything.

Their hostess continued like she hadn't noticed. "What brings you and your companions to Castell?"

Kara, with occasional assistance from Meena, told the story of their arrival. Other Mandalorian warriors filtered in as they continued. When they reached the part about their escape pod ride, several of the gathered warriors cheered and toasted them with foaming tankards.

Their meals had arrived during the telling and they all picked at their food while Kara finished her story.

"And the rest you know," Kara finished. "I regret that I killed members of your clan-"

"Say no more of that," Cait interjected. "They died in combat. They were honorable ends... which is the best any of us can ever hope for."

"You mentioned your freighter," Gat said. "What was its name?"

"The Wanderer," Renn said. Kara could feel his uncertainty of the situation. He kept mentally evaluating their odds. She hoped this apparent good cheer wouldn't end in something stupid. The odds were pitiful.

Gat punched the name into a datapad. "Yes! We ran across it. It was damaged in the the initial assault. Would you like it transferred here for repairs?"

"Repairs?" Renn said. "What happened to our ship?"

Gat checked the pad again. "Nothing too serious.... Oh, hey, Cait?" He motioned for her to join him out of earshot. The siblings held a hasty whispered conversation and then they returned.

"I have... news... of your friends," Cait began. "We — myself, Gat and a few others — were responsible for capturing them. They were stunned, but well. Even the Jedi. They're recovering from their previous injuries at the local Constabulary Secure Center."

"They were _arrested?!"_ Meena and Renn said in unison.

"Why were they taken there?" Kara asked. Maybe Renn was right to size up the odds....

"The crew of that ship, the Wanderer, was flagged by Clan Ordo as dangerous, and they are to be detained."

Kara tensed and carefully began reaching for her lightsaber.

"Please! Do not worry," Cait said. "You are our _guests,_ not prisoners. I gave you my word, and I pledge to you all that you are safe here among us."

Truth shone in her like a beacon. Kara relaxed.

"Besides," Gat said, "you'll find that Clan Ordo doesn't pull a lot of weight with us, even if they _are_ in charge here."

Renn looked between Gat and his sister. "Not that I'm complaining, but why _aren't_ we prisoners, then?"

"And will someone _please_ tell me what does all this has to do with Kara?" Meena added.

Kara looked over at Meena. "This woman Cait's talked about, Selene? She was my grandmother."

"And," Cait continued, "Selene Au Vanden, who we know as Selene Bladedancer, is someone my clan holds in highest honor."

"So you told us," Kara said. "But you haven't told us why."

"It's a long story."

"I know very little of my grandmother's life," Kara said with a sad sigh. "My lightsaber, and a few other items, were her only legacy."

"Then I will tell you of her, as much as I can." The warrior woman sat back in her chair. "It was during what the Republic calls the 'Mandalorian Wars'. My people were rolling across the galaxy like a wave. The Outer Rim fell in weeks, the colonies soon after, and the Inner Rim was about to follow suit....

"But then, the Jedi entered the war.

"We'd heard stories, but the reality was ever so much worse. The Jedi, Revan, and her followers, stopped us cold. Dozens of smaller battles consolidated into a single cohesive front. Before long we were slogging back and forth over every inch of space. But the fighting was fiercest on the world of Derra IV."

Kara sat bolt upright. "That's my home! I never heard it had been a battlefield."

"Derra IV was a crucial supply base for us," Gat said. "Clan Ordo and its allies were charged with holding it. Which is where we come in."

"Clan Rook had been one of Ordo's oldest allies," Cait explained. "On Derra IV, almost all of our forces were caught unaware by a huge combined force of Jedi and Republic troops. After days of fighting, our clan was all but obliterated. All that were left were a few warriors, and the injured.

"We held a single fortress, no air cover, no orbital cover... and your grandmother's forces had come for us."

Cait took a long pull of her tankard. "My father raised us on stories of that day. He was a boy, barely into his first armor, but he was there. Selene's forces darkened the sky, and ringed us nigh to the horizon. She could have ended Clan Rook right then and there. It would have been the logical move, the smart move... but she didn't.

"She called for my great-uncle, the head of our clan, to engage her in single battle. If she won, we were to evacuate our forces from the planet; if he won, the Republic would do the same."

"Dad used to say no one believed her," Gat added, "but at least it bought time."

Cait nodded. "So, he agreed. The fight lasted three hours. But in the end, she took his sword arm at the wrist.

"Even as he fell, the Republic forces surged across the lines. Their fleet command had issued orders to burn us to the last warrior. But Selene... she tried to stop it. She screamed at the top of her voice for the Republic to honor their word. And many did. All the Jedi forces turned, and demanded the Republic soldiers hold fire. Some soldiers did, many didn't.

"But even so, Selene's Jedi fought with us. They gave us time, and in the end... as we ran for the stars, Selene and her cadre held the line.

"The story goes that the Republic wanted to try her for treason. But she'd disappeared."

"She returned to Derra IV," Kara said. "She spent the rest of her life there."

"Wow," Meena said, blinking and apparently taking it all in for a moment. Then she looked embarrassed. "Um... I'm sorry, but is there a refresher I can use?"

Cait pointed it out to her, and she got up to go use it.

The rest of them fell quiet, finishing up their meals. It couldn't have been more than ten minutes later, when a commotion grabbed their attention from the other side of the room.

"Can't we have some fun with the tail-head?" boomed a gruff voice. One of the Mandalorians had intercepted Meena on her way back to them. He leered at her drunkenly, and grabbed her upper arm hard enough to elicit a sound of startled pain from the Twi'lek girl. Her expression was a mix of fear and anger as she tried to pull away from him.

Renn had already risen from his chair, probably about to do something incredibly stupid to try and protect his friend, but Kara put a hand on his arm. "Wait," she said.

Cait had also risen, and in two steps she was standing before the the drunken warrior who still held Meena's arm. "Draw. Your. Weapon," she said, and the sound cut the room's temperature in half.

"Whu?... What'd ya mean? She isn't here for our... entertainment?"

"Lodus, draw your weapon," she repeated, her own pistol out and at her side. "I will not tell you again. They are our guests, not prisoners. " Her voice was so low and vicious that Kara winced. "And even if they weren't, they would _not_ be playthings."

"I'd draw if I were you, Lodus," Gat said. "She doesn't like you on the best of days, and this ain't one of them."

"Whu... wait... " He released Meena's arm and took a big step back. "I didn't mean nothing..."

"Of course you didn't," Cait said in a voice like winter. "But if you ever even look at these three wrong again, your life is over. Get me?"

"I get you, I- I get you!"

"Sober up before I burn you anyway," she growled. "Go."

Lodus fled.

Cait turned to Meena. "I'm sorry, Miss Lanu." She bowed her head. "That is _not_ how we treat guests." 

Meena looked up at the Mandalorian woman. "Thanks," she said quietly. "He just startled me." She rubbed her arm. He'd managed to tear her sleeve a little more, or maybe she'd done it herself, trying to get away. "I'm okay, really."

"I do not doubt it," Cait said with a shy smile. "You are strong... and far more patient than I."

From across the galley, Gat cleared his throat loudly. _"Ahem..._ Should we see to the transfer of their ship now, Commander?"

"Hm? Oh! Yes!" Cait said. "Yes, that's a good idea. I'll... I'll be on the bridge." And with that she turned on a heel and strode purposefully away.

Meena stared after her, eyes wide.

***

The young boy looked up into the purple mountain twilight, and saw the Master in white standing upon the hill.

He'd been given a task to complete. A boulder must be moved. There was no technique to it, no skill. Just pure strength of will. If he truly deserved his place in the Jedi, it should be a simple matter.

But the rock refused to move. No matter how the lad strained, how his thoughts reached forth... they found no purchase.

The sun dropped away from the world and his Master in white came down the hill, disapproval writ large in his stern gaze. "Before," he said, "your failures only reflected upon you alone. You shall have the hours until dawn. Move the rock, or begone."

And with that, he walked away.

The boy turned back to the boulder. It was larger than he, larger than his Master. No man could lift it with physical strength alone, but the boy tried. He grappled with the stubborn stone, plied his will and his strength and his foul language against it to equal futility.

So what if he couldn't lift a stupid rock with the Force. Plenty of Jedi were gifted in other ways... healers, scholars, crafters.

"Dreamers, Knowers, Shapers and Makers," his Master told him in her sibilant voice. The Ho'Din were close to nature as a species, and their view of the Force was unique.

"The great mystery reveals itself in many ways... though not all paths lead to knighthood, all are Jedi," she said as they sat in a sunlit garden of sand and rock. "The path of the Knight is not the only one open to you."

But, wait, she was not his Master. The man in white was... and he was not in some warm place of contemplation. He was in a mountain valley on Solara, chilled by whipping winter winds and beset by an obstinate boulder which blocked the path to his Master's approval.

"Young one," his Ho'Din master chided him, "forever, with you, something is or is not.... You are your own riddle."

 _No!_ He had to get this boulder... _had_ to move it, had to....

In the cold and the dark and the rain, his tears made little enough addition. In the rolling thunder, his cries little enough echo.

In the east, the horizon grew leaden, and still the boy contended with the stone. The darkness fled and still he fought for the barest shift, the smallest change.

As the sun crested the mountain horizon, he reached into himself and found the way blocked as it always was, but this time, the block relented, ever so slightly. The struggle tore his soul asunder, but in the end, the boulder moved ponderously into the air, and fell back to the ground with a tremendous crash... barely a foot from where it had begun.

Panting, the boy sat, lungs clawing at the air for some relief from the searing pain of his exertions. His limbs trembled and his heart heaved as if it would split his chest apart, but all he could do was kneel upon the rain-soaked grass, cold, broken and alone.

The Ho'Din who was his Master descended from the temple across the sun-warmed gravel of the desert path, and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I am proud of you."

Under the firm grip of his Master, the boy shivered from the mountain rain. Terrified to see his efforts were not good enough, he looked up into the man's eyes.

Valen Kell had been handsome once, but long service with the Jedi had left him scarred and disfigured. His voice came from his throat as if it were being forced up a burning chimney. "My apprentice you remain... Aeron."

In a jail cell on the distant world of Castell, Aeron Rhade sat bolt upright, his heart hammering and his breath ragged.

***

In a section of the infinite black between stars, ships of war gathered.

The Republic Navy formed the backbone of the growing fleet, but among the number were ships from the smaller homeguards of dozens of systems.

Aboard the flagship, the dreadnaught Emancipator, Master Valen Kell stood and surveyed the gathered armada. By general acclaim of the Senate, he had been given command of the expedition to retake Castell.

And, now, they were ready.

"Admiral Kell," the Emancipator's captain said. "The fleet is prepared for lightspeed, and our ground forces, under Master Quinn's command, are set to deploy. We await only your formal launch command."

"For freedom, and to wrest order from chaos.... The command is given, Captain."

And the Combined Republic Fleet jumped.

***

Kara, Renn, and Meena had been shown to a room on the Phoenix after their meal, and now all they could do was wait for further news about their friends and their ship.

Kara sat down on the room's lone bed, and Meena had curled up by herself on an acceleration couch in one corner of the cabin. But Renn started pacing. 

Their ship was damaged. Again. And his friends were being held prisoner. Gat had said he would find out exactly where they were being held, but it might be difficult getting them out if Ordo wanted them so badly. 

Renn wanted to be _doing_ something to help, not just waiting here at the mercy of people they barely knew.

After he'd made a few circuits of the small room, Kara had obviously had enough. "Renn, will you stop that? You're making me nervous."

"Sorry," he said. He came over to the bed, and tried to sit still next to his lover. Being near Kara usually helped, but his mind was still racing. He took a deep breath in an attempt to calm down, and she took his hand.

When the door chime finally sounded, he jumped up. "Yes?"

It was Gat's voice that came over the intercom. "Your ship's here. Wanna take a look?"

Renn looked at the others. Kara was already on her feet, too, but Meena shook her head. "I think I'll rest. Besides, it's special for you both. I was just a guest, but it's your home." She smiled, a little shyly. "Go on, don't worry about me. I'll be fine. I'll lock the door behind you."

Kara hooked a thumb back at the bed. "Why don't you grab the actual _bed_ and get some sleep?"

"Good idea." Renn nodded, and then he and Kara stepped out into the hallway, where Gat was waiting to show them to their ship.

They were bringing the Wanderer into one of the Phoenix's cargo holds when the three of them arrived. Several large hover-lifts maneuvered the ship through the cargo bay doors. Renn watched nervously as their ship was settled into place. Not that it would make much difference if they damaged it more; their home was already looking plenty battered. He hadn't seen it this bad, actually, since the crash on Derra IV.

"Well," he said, looking at all the damage. "We got our work cut out for us, huh?"

"Yeah," Gat agreed. "Want some help? I'm pretty handy with a wrench."

"I wouldn't say no," Renn said. "But uh, how much will I owe you for that favor?" 

"A chance to fix up a classic Corellian JY 750? Heck... no charge."

"Thanks." Renn held out a hand to the Mandalorian, who took it in a firm handshake. "It's a deal."

Kara patted Renn on the shoulder and made for the Wanderer's main ramp.

"Let's get to work then," Gat said with a warm smile. "But you still owe me fifty credits."

Renn rolled his eyes and started toward the ship.

***

The two men checked out the engine room first, on the theory that if the sublight engine wasn't fixable, it wouldn't matter much what shape the rest of the ship was in until they could replace it.

"Well," Renn said aloud, after inspecting everything, "it's not as bad in here as I was afraid it would be."

"Should be a couple days, but doable," Gat agreed. "Let's get cracking."

"Hang on, I need to get my tools." Renn left the engine room to get his big toolkit out of a locker in the cargo bay. He returned to find Gat already working on the main power junction. "Don't break anything," he said, only half-joking.

"I'll try not to." Renn could almost hear the eye roll in the dry words. It was so weird to him, having someone else tinkering with his ship. Their ship.

He sat on the engine room floor and opened one of the floor panels to get to work. They worked in almost-silence for a while, trading tools occasionally or asking for an opinion on something.

"I think my sister's got a crush on your friend," Gat said after a little while, his tone off-handed.

Renn eyed him. "Kara's taken."

"What? No. The Twi'lek girl."

"Oh." Renn frowned. "Oh? Hmm." He honestly couldn't tell if Meena had been interested or not. She had mostly just seemed scared and overwhelmed.

"Cait doesn't take rejection well. I mean, she won't get violent or anything. She just gets really depressed." Gat sighed.

"I'll talk to Meena, if you want. Try to find out what she thinks."

"Yeah?"

"It's up to her, though. I'm not gonna tell her to do something she doesn't want to."

"I get it," Gat said. "It's just a real bad time right now for Cait to go sullen, that's all."

"Right." Renn tried to imagine Meena dating a Mandalorian woman. If her mother wasn't going to kill him before, she sure was now.

They worked quietly for about an hour before Gat spoke up again. "I hope you've gotten better at pazaak in three years." 

"I don't play much anymore. I was only playing then because I was trying to close a deal. Which you got in the middle of, thanks."

"Don't mention it."

Renn snorted.

"So about those fifty credits..."

"Seriously, I'll give you a hundred if you'll shut up about it!" Renn laughed.

"Deal." Gat grinned over at him.

They worked together for a few more hours, maybe, before Renn set his tools down. It was really easy to lose track of time when he was this focused. "I need a break."

The Mandalorian checked his chrono. "It's getting late, yeah. Maybe get some sleep and start fresh in the morning."

"Do you think Kara and I could just stay on the ship tonight?" Renn asked, as they were packing up their tools. "I think we'd both be more comfortable here."

Gat considered the request. "I'll ask Cait, but I don't see why not. It's not like you can run out on us." He clapped Renn on the shoulder, grinning again.

"Thanks," Renn said. He'd really missed being home.


	6. Reclamation

Kara stepped into the room she shared with Liana. It was all a jumble of various mementos and knickknacks strewn across the floor. Thankfully, little seemed actually damaged. She started setting things right, returning her stuff to the proper spots and placing Liana's possessions where she remembered them being, or into a box she could stow next to Liana's bunk.

The framed flimsiplast image from B4's memory bank of Kara and the gliderwing, taken after the battle on Derra IV, went back on the shelf beside her bunk. The small chrono Liana had given her went next to it.

But her flower was a lost cause. The jar of soil from her farm had been smashed, and the flower growing in it was crushed. Carefully, she began to comb the soil back into another container, trying to not feel like she had just lost something important.

A soft knock from the open door startled her. Cait stood in the doorway. "Lady Vanden?"

She winced. "Please don't call me that," Kara said. "I hate that title. The man who killed my parents called me that."

Cait looked stricken. "My apologies... how, then, shall I address you?"

"My friends call me Kara. Let's just be friends, all right? It's easiest."

Cait smiled. "Friends it is then, Kara. Call me Cait."

"All right then, Cait." Kara returned the smile. "What can I do for you?"

"We seem to have lost my brother to the repair of this ship, but I wanted to know if you needed anything."

Kara set her re-potted jar of home aside. "Nothing for now. " She looked around the room. "Just picking up the pieces."

"I see... excuse me." Cait stepped into the room and knelt by the helmet of Kara's armor. "Is this what I think it is?"

"Selene's armor, yes. It's something else I inherited indirectly from her. I've been keeping it under my bunk..

"Well it's not like it'll wrinkle," Cait said with a chuckle. Despite her tone, she bent and lifted the helmet reverently. "Do you know the story of this armor?"

Kara cringed. "The man who had it, and the cores of my lightsaber, was not really the most reliable. Almost everything he ever told me was a lie, except at the end."

At Cait's blank look of misunderstanding, she explained. "He was a Sith Lord, possessed by an evil... thing. He was redeemed, at the last. It turned out that he was my cousin, but under the influence of that... thing, he also had my parents murdered."

"I see." Cait shook her head. "You've had a hard road, Kara."

Kara stared past the helmet, into the distance of time. "A hard road," she said at last.

"I told you that Selene bested my great-uncle, Rasai, in combat," Cait began. "But that wasn't the last time they met."

"Oh?" Kara pulled the rest of the armor out from under her bunk and gathered it together.

"After Selene fled the Jedi, she wandered for a time. Where she went and what she did, I doubt anyone knows. But some years later, after the defeat of my people at Malachor V, Selene appeared at our ancestral home, on the world of Concord Dawn. She wasn't alone either. Her Padawan, Jhoral, was with her."

"I've heard tell of Jhoral before," Kara said, joining Cait on the floor before the golden armor. "But I hardly know anything about him."

"There's not much I can add about him, really. But Selene and Jhoral said they needed shelter from some darkness that was following them. Something Selene called the Silence."

Fingers of cold dread traced themselves along Kara's spine and she shivered.

"Ah, you know of that, then?"

Kara nodded. "It was what possessed my cousin. I- I don't like to speak of it."

"The pair of them stayed with my clan for several years. Right up until the Red Blade, Revan, returned and invaded the Republic in the war of the Star Forge. During that time, Selene tried to teach us her way of fighting, her way of 'listening to the Music', as she called it."

Kara smiled. So, Selene had heard the Music too... had thought of the Force as more than what the Jedi believed it to be. That warmed her heart.

"During this time, the leadership of the clan shifted. Rasai had no children, and my grandfather was dead in the war. So it landed on my father's shoulders. With the burden of leadership passed, Rasai and Selene became friends and confidants. There may have been more, but it is not my people's custom to speculate about such things."

"Rasai had been married once. His wife died decades before the war with the Republic, in a skirmish between clans. But her armor still stood in honor, in Rasai's house...."

Cait paused, then gathered her resolve and continued. "You must understand, it is our custom that armor is not made. Not from scratch. It is modified, reforged. Pieces merging and spreading among the clan, the house, throughout all of Mandalore. New metal is incorporated, but the old lives on in the new. It is how we grow.

"Rasai and Selene forged this from his wife's armor. It is as a great tie to my past as it is to yours."

Kara sat back on her haunches. "I... don't know what to say."

"Say you'll treat my clan's legacy with honor." Cait smiled. "When you aren't storing it under your bunk."

Kara laughed. "I will. What else do you know of Selene and Jhoral's time with your clan?"

"Not much... they remained with us, hidden, until one day a Red Blade came to Concord Dawn."

"Red Blade? A Sith?"

Cait nodded. "We do not honor them with their proper name, but yes. He came and Jhoral left with him... and with my aunt."

Kara blinked. "Your... aunt?"

"Yes, they were in love and she was great with child." Cait paused. "Kara, what is it? You look as though you've seen a ghost."

"Cait," Kara said very carefully, "I do know two things about Jhoral I don't think you do...."

"Which are?"

"That he was father to Kirennan Venaar, former Dark Lord of the Sith. And that Jhoral was Selene's own son."

The two women sat in stupefaction for a long moment.

"Which means..." Kara tried to say.

"...that you and I are..." Cait lunged forward with a glad cry and threw her arms around Kara. "Welcome to Clan Rook, Kara Tao Vanden! Welcome home!"

***

Between the crash landing, the firefight, and then spending the rest of the afternoon on repairs, Renn was desperately in need of a shower and some fresh clothes. He went to the refresher to clean himself up first before tackling the dormitory.

Once he had showered and dressed again, he surveyed the chaos in his room with a frown. Aeron didn't keep much in the way of possessions, and the Jedi's things were always put away neatly in his footlocker. Because of course they were. So pretty much everything that had been tossed around was Renn's.

Well, maybe it was a good thing in a way, he thought, as he found some old holos that he definitely didn't need anymore. He tossed them into a pile to go into the trash. It would force him to clean up all this stuff. He had a lot of old junk in here, things he'd held on to for no real reason. He needed to break that habit of hoarding things, especially if he was going to be sharing this space with Kara.

He hadn't actually talked to her about that idea, he realized. They had been together almost constantly since they'd become a couple. They'd shared a hotel room during their little vacation, and when they'd returned to the ship, on the way back to his mother's, she'd spent her nights in here with him by unspoken agreement. He'd just assumed she would want to continue that way, and the easiest thing would be for her to move in here with him.

He should know by now not to assume anything when it came to that woman. She always managed to find a way to surprise him.

Once he had most of his stuff either stowed or ready for the trash, he sat on the bunk and grabbed the bag he'd brought with him from Nal Yeshu. He found the picture of his family tucked inside and extracted it.

Renn looked at it for a long moment, in quiet contemplation. Then he set it on the little shelf set into the wall above the bunk, where he usually stowed his datapad at night. He'd never kept any personal mementos out in the open like that before, but it felt right to have it there. He needed to remember everything he was. The good and the bad.

The dormitory door slid open and Kara stepped inside. She was still wearing the clothes she'd borrowed from Meena, and, if anything, she looked even more bedraggled.

Before he could say something, she sat down next to him and laid her head on his shoulder. "We need to talk," she said.

Renn felt an odd sense of dread at her tone. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know... I just discovered something. I don't know what to make of it yet... But, it turns out that Venaar? He was Cait and Gat's cousin. Through their mother."

He frowned, thinking. "Wait, wasn't he _your_ cousin? So... you're related to them?!" What had he just been thinking, about Kara always being full of surprises?

"Yes, he was, and yes, I am. I think. We're kin, at least." Kara still sounded unsure, like she was in a dream or something.

Renn put his arms around her. "You sure they're telling you the truth?"

Kara shifted her head just far enough to give him a level look.

"What? I'm the paranoid one, remember?" He frowned. "You know I have to ask. It's too convenient."

"I suppose," she said with a sigh. "Renn, what if it's true? Do I have... I don't know, _another_ family? What am I supposed to do about all this?"

Renn thought about that for a moment. "What does it really change, in the long run?" he said at last. "It doesn't change who _you_ are, and you still have me. Us. Our family."

Kara tightened her arms about him and chewed on her lower lip, fighting tears.

There was another bad habit he needed to break. "Hey," Renn murmured, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry."

"Not sad tears." She snuggled closer, looking about the chaos of the room, then suddenly gave a happy shout. "Your flimsi!" She pointed at the image on his shelf.

"Yeah." Renn nodded toward the picture. "I always liked that one. I don't know, maybe it meant that they were happy together, at least for a little while."

"They were," Kara said. "They had you."

"Honestly? I'm pretty sure they never meant to." He shrugged.

"So? I never meant to travel the stars, become a freight hauler, smuggler, whatever, but it happened." She kissed his cheek. "And I'm glad most of it did."

"Me, too," he said, leaning against her. He liked just being close to her like this. It made him feel like he could tell her anything.

He looked up at the picture once more. He hadn't realized just how much he looked like his father until he'd seen that picture again. "He... really wasn't a good man," he said, after a long hesitation. An offering, if she wanted to hear it.

"Oh?" Kara asked. "Will you tell me about him, please? If you can?"

Renn nodded. "I actually only know some of it. He was in and out of our lives constantly when I was a kid. And there's a lot Mom never told me."

Start at the beginning, right? "Well, I know he was originally from Corellia. He and Mom met on Nar Shaddaa while he was working as a slicer, and they got married. But she left him when I was really young. I was too young to understand the reasons why. She didn't want him in her life anymore. Which was fine. I mean, he was a jerk to her." His laugh was self-deprecating. "So I come by that naturally."

Kara punched him lightly in the arm. "Ow!" He rubbed at the spot, but she just smiled at him.

He looked away from her, back at the picture. "Kara, he wasn't just a jerk. He was... abusive," Renn said. She needed to know this, needed to know where he came from, but it wasn't easy to say aloud. "Not physically. You know my mother; she wouldn't have stood for that. But he was... manipulative. He used me against her, and he took advantage of the fact that she didn't want me to grow up without a father."

It had taken him a long time to figure that out for himself. As a child he hadn't understood what was happening, but looking back at it with more experienced eyes, it was much clearer.

Kara clearly didn't know what to say. She just kept holding him, letting him know that he was safe, warm, and cared for.

"After they split up, he still came to visit me sometimes. He brought me that old computer that was in my room at Mom's. He taught me everything he knew, all his tricks for slicing and getting into systems. It got me started, but I surpassed him." He said it matter-of-factly. It wasn't meant as a boast.

"He was so proud of me, of what I could do. He called me his genius kid. More than anything, I wanted him to keep making him proud of me. I don't know, maybe I thought that might make him stick around. I did whatever he wanted, even when it was a really bad idea. We did lots of stuff I didn't think too hard about at the time. Like that whole mess with the backdoor...."

Renn hesitated. "You know, there's something I've never understood about what happened that day. Dad worked on the backdoor with me. He _knew_ the access sequence. He could have stopped it, what they did to me. He _let_ them hurt me....

"But I think he saved my life afterward, by sticking me in that escape pod. I think he must have died, to protect me. But I... don't understand why he didn't just stop it in the first place, and I'll never know why. It makes no logical sense. He could have ended everything, and saved both our lives, just by telling them what they wanted to know. I just can't figure it out..."

But if his father had done that, then Renn Falani would never have existed at all. He would never have met Liana, would never have met Kara, would never have become the man he was today. He might still have his father, but would that have been worth losing all that he had now?

"Cait said I've had a hard road," Kara said. "I think that hard roads make us who we are. I'd give anything to have my mother and father back, except..." She raised her head and kissed him lightly on the lips. "Except you."

Renn held her close, stroking her hair. No, even with all the pain he'd been through to get here, he wouldn't trade her for anything in the galaxy.

***

Meena hadn't been lying about wanting to rest, but she had also wanted some time alone, to process everything that had happened to her... today? Had it really all been one day?

She took advantage of being by herself in the room to shower and clean up in the small refresher. Unfortunately, she'd forgotten that she'd given her other change of clothes to Kara back when they'd first landed, so she'd had to pull on the same dirty and torn jumpsuit again. She might have to ask if Kara had anything on the Wanderer that she could borrow, at least until she had a chance to get her own clothes cleaned and repaired.

She eyed the single bed in the room. That was going to be an awkward sleeping arrangement when her friends got back. Obviously they should have the bed, and she would just have to sleep on that couch over there. But they'd told her to take it while they were gone, so she sighed and tried to stretch out on it.

Secretly, Meena had to admit that she was a little bit jealous of them.

Well, it wasn't that she was jealous _of_ either of them, really. She and Rennie had kissed years ago, when they were teenagers and still trying to figure things out. That hadn't done much except make things really awkward and weird for a few weeks. They'd both finally admitted it was a terrible mistake and not what either of them wanted, and that had been the end of that.

And yes, Meena thought Kara was cute, but she'd known from the moment she'd met her that she wouldn't have had a chance. Kara had clearly been in love with Renn, and vice versa, even if they hadn't admitted it to themselves yet. Meena loved them both as friends, and she was truly happy that they'd found one another.

No, she was jealous that she didn't have anything like that anymore.

She'd split up with her first serious girlfriend a couple of years ago when she'd decided to move to Novus Station. They'd ended on good terms, and still kept in touch, but they had very different goals in life, goals that had proven incompatible. Meena had not been able to pass up the chance for a spot with a dance troupe, even for someone she still cared about.

Since then she'd had a handful of lovers. Her last had been another dancer on Novus Station. Much like her position in her dance troupe, that relationship had also gone up in smoke because she'd suddenly gone running off to help her friend.

She knew Rennie felt guilty that she'd sacrificed so much for his sake. It had been her choice, though. She'd meant it when she told him that she would've done it again.

But that didn't mean she had no regrets at all about what she'd given up. She found herself with nothing left of the life she'd built, and she was putting off rebuilding because she had no idea where she wanted to go next.

Maybe that's why she'd come here. The mission in the Tower had been exciting and fun and dangerous. It had been completely unlike anything she'd ever done before. She thought she'd been of real help, too. She wanted to feel that way again, like she could be useful, like she was really making a difference.

Meena turned onto her side, staring blankly at the door. Of course, so far she'd been exactly the opposite. From being taken hostage to having to be rescued again at dinner... so far she'd been nothing but a liability, a burden.

She felt tears in her eyes, unbidden. She hadn't wanted to show how overwhelmed she was with her friends around, but she let it all out now, curling up into a ball as she cried. She was in way over her head this time, and she worried that she might drag them down with her.

When the door chime sounded, she hurriedly wiped at her eyes, sitting up. Were they back already? "Yes?" she said into the intercom, hoping her voice didn't sound too unsteady. She didn't want Kara and Renn to know that she'd been crying.

"Miss Lanu? It's Cait. May I come in?"

"Oh!" Meena said. "Um, give me a minute." She got up and straightened her torn jumpsuit as best she could, and wiped at her eyes some more, hoping they didn't look too red. Then she went to the door and opened it. "Sorry, I, uh, I thought it was a good idea to lock the door, just in case. Since I was in here by myself...." Her voice trailed off weakly as she realized the implication that she wasn't safe here might be offensive to their hostess.

"Ah, yes, I can understand that. I just wanted to let you know that Kara and Renn have decided to stay on the Wanderer, so this room is all yours if you want it." Cait's brows knit in concern. "Are you all right?"

Meena looked down, embarrassed. Well, of course, they probably wanted their privacy, too. It was better this way, even if it meant she was alone up here. "I guess so," she said finally. "I'm just worried. And nervous."

Cait nodded. "I can understand that, too. Um...." And abruptly, that indomitable warrior spirit was whisked away and Cait became a shy teenager, scuffing her toe on the ground for courage. "I was, uh, going to get a drink. Would you like to join me?"

Meena blinked. This fierce Mandalorian engine of death was... adorable.

She considered the offer. She didn't want to be stuck all alone in this room anymore, to keep going over her failures in her mind. Meena decided that she was going to try to be brave. Maybe she could even find out something helpful by chatting with the Mandalorian leader. It couldn't hurt. "Sure," she said. "That would be nice."

"Really?" Cait sounded excited, and her smile lit up like a star going nova. She had a really great smile. "Then, by all means, this way."

Cait led Meena back through the ship, not toward the galley, but to a smaller room. It was crescent shaped, with large windows both above and along the curving wall. Several comfortable looking chairs, small tables, cushions, and even just thick mats were scattered around the room.

"This is the _mirshko yamika_ , or 'Focus Room,'" Cait said. "It's where we come before a battle to contemplate, to meditate. Or just to have a quiet drink or several...." She indicated a fully stocked sideboard Meena had missed on her first glance. "So, what's your pleasure? We've got some of just about everything."

"Wow." Meena blinked at the array of bottles. She wasn't sure what some of them were. "Um, what are you going to have?"

Cait hesitated. "Uh, you don't want that. My taste in booze is... somewhat robust?"

Meena giggled. "I think I can be brave and at least try a sip. You never know unless you try something, right?"

"Well, all right then!" Cait said with a wide grin. She pulled two bottles from the sideboard, along with two good-size tumblers. Into one she poured a liberal amount of rich brown liquid; into the other, a small shot, which she then mixed by pouring some of the fiery orange liquid from the other bottle.

They retired, not to a table, but an overstuffed poof of a cushion that looked like it'd seat about nine. It was, Meena discovered after crawling onto it, unbelievably comfortable.

"Here you go." Cait handed her the mixed tumbler. "The orange is Namana liquor. It's really good at cutting the pain from the other stuff."

"What's the 'other stuff'?" Meena asked, amused.

"I, uh, won't tell you that till after you try it." Cait said, looking slyly at her. "It's got a fearsome, and mostly undeserved, reputation."

"Okay." Meena looked at the drink, a little uncertain. She was being brave, right? She raised it to her lips and took a careful sip.

Her eyes widened. The drink bit like fire, but only for a moment. It seemed to convert to vapor instantly once it was past her lips, and the flavor.... The sweetest jungle fruit, mingled with warm spice. And then it was gone, the alchemical bliss burning its way down her throat and leaving her mouth feeling like she just sipped lava.

"That's... really strong," she gasped.

Cait smirked and knocked back her own glass in one long shot. "The brown is called 'Port In A Storm'. It's from a world called Pamarthe. A bit off the map, I know, but it's _worth_ it." She poured herself a fresh one.

Meena stared at her. "How did you drink that whole thing at once?"

Cait flashed that nova-bright smile again. "It's actually easier without the mixer. That's where the fire on the back end comes from." This time, she only took about half the glass in one go. "Can I ask you a... bit of a personal question?"

Meena took another careful sip of the drink. It burned a little less now that she was expecting it. "I guess so," she said, after a moment.

"Today, you charged into battle with no thought or hesitation, but it seemed.... Among my people this is a mortal insult, but I assure you I don't mean it that way. I just want to know. It seemed you weren't really sure what you were doing. But you charged straight in anyway. No fear, just full steam ahead."

The warrior woman curled around her drink, staring into the refractions of light, and speaking now in a very small voice. "How did you do that? How did you discard your fear?"

Meena shook her head. "I didn't," she admitted. "I was terrified. But... my friends were in trouble, and I couldn't _not_ do something." She bit her lip. "Not that I did them any good. I was kind of useless and needed to be rescued. Again."

Cait waved off the second half of Meena's answer. "Being terrified isn't the issue. How did you not freeze up? I've seen trained warriors, men who have spent decades honing the craft of combat, become trembling children at the first shock of battle. But you... you say you were useless, but you were not. You showed the will to act."

She filled her half-empty glass and downed it all again. "I'm the one who froze," she said in a bare whisper.

Meena wasn't sure what to say to that. "How did _you_ freeze? You got everyone to stop fighting and talk."

"I... When I saw Kara cutting through my men like they were nothing... I- I panicked because I'd gotten them killed. Instead of facing their killer in honorable combat, I took you hostage. You say I got everyone to stop fighting? In so doing, I betrayed everything I stand for. I gave into the fear and I-"

She brought her eyes back up to Meena's. Cait's eyes were red, full of anguish... gone was the decisive commander, gone was the armor-clad death machine. In her place was a frightened little girl. _"You_ were the brave one. You faced a similar threat and remained yourself."

Meena stared into the other woman's eyes. She wasn't entirely sure she understood, but she recognized the hurt and the fear there, at least. "I don't think I was very brave," she said, averting her gaze. She suddenly felt shy, like she was intruding on Cait's pain and seeing something she wasn't supposed to see.

She set the rest of her drink on the floor beside the cushion and folded her hands in her lap, thoughtful. Maybe Cait just needed someone to tell her it was okay. "But... don't you think you saved more lives by stopping the fight? If you hadn't done that, how many _more_ of your men would have been hurt or killed? Not to mention probably me, and Rennie and Kara, too." She raised her eyes to meet Cait's again. "Sometimes, maybe it's more brave to do what you're not supposed to do."

Cait searched Meena's eyes for a long moment, and then the Mandalorian leaned in and kissed her full on the lips.

That was the last thing she'd expected. Meena froze for a split second, her eyes wide. Cait's kiss was surprisingly sweet. And it felt nice. Really nice.

Throwing caution to the wind, Meena closed her eyes and melted into the kiss, sliding her arms around Cait's neck.

Cait pushed her gently back into the comfortable cushion. This was probably a terrible idea, Meena thought, as she felt the other woman's weight settle over her. But right now, she wasn't sure she cared. She was trying to be brave. And being brave had its rewards.


	7. Vipers

As dawn's rays illuminated Liana's cell in the detention center, she surveyed her options for the hundredth time. Her own cell seemed pretty standard. A small refresher unit with a UV sterilization light instead of a sink, a fold-away bunk sized for humans, just barely enough room for her to stand erect but not enough to take a full length stride, and metal bars running floor-to-ceiling along the front. The bars were spaced just close enough together that she couldn't ease her hand through them no matter how she tried.

Her cell didn't have a window in the back wall, but one of the two she could see across the hall did. It was occupied by the shut-down form of B4. T5, she knew, was in some sort of clamp rig to her left somewhere. Judging by the sounds he emitted, he was held off the floor and in a truly foul humor.

The other cell in her view held Aeron, who had been coming in and out of consciousness all afternoon and evening. Every time he drifted off, he would begin twitching, as if dreaming, then wake with a start, delirious. He would be awake for perhaps ten minutes while Liana patiently explained what had befallen them... and then the Jedi would pass out again.

Liana was worried about him. She couldn't tell if he was sick, if it was the combination of drugs and stunner again, or if it was something else entirely. There was little she could do, and that made her more angry than anything else.

Without anyone to really talk to, or anything else to occupy her time in the cramped cell, she found herself praying to her Goddess often, over and over in the quiet. She prayed not only for herself and Aeron, but also for Renn and Kara not to do something stupid in an attempt to reach them. She had a feeling the latter was probably a lost cause, but at least they might be protected by her prayers.

Across the cell bay, Aeron stirred. It didn't sound like his usual awakening. She thought he might actually be coming out of whatever had happened to him.

"Li- Liana?" he croaked.

"I'm here," she called to him, moving closer to the bars of her cell. "Are you all right?"

"I... _ow._ I believe I more or less am. My injuries feel improved, but not healed. Now if only someone could do something about the angry Wookiee with a sledgehammer in my skull. Where are we, anyway?"

She sighed, hoping this was the last time she'd have to explain it to him. She still spoke patiently and calmly, despite her frustration. "The Mandalorians had us arrested from the hospital where we were being treated for our injuries. It seems they were watching for our ship specifically, from what I could tell."

"That doesn't bode well," he said. Getting shakily to his feet, he leaned against the bars of his cell. "T5 is in the cell to your left, by the way, restrained. I take it B4 is also nearby?"

She nodded. "Deactivated, to your right."

He gave her a jaunty smile. "Then the gang's all here." He rested his forehead against the cool metal bars. "So, Boss, when do we break out of here?"

"Whenever you figure out how we are to do so," she said. "I haven't been able to find a way, myself." She looked up toward the security cameras, hoping he would notice where her gaze rested. She was uncertain if anyone was actually watching, but she had to assume so, and that meant they should watch their words carefully.

"Ah, well, as Renn would say, that sucks."

The security door at the end of the bay boomed open, and a dozen armored Mandalorian troops stomped their way down to their cells.

Four of their number drew sidearms and leveled them at Liana. The other eight evenly dispersed around the front of Aeron's cell. "Jedi," their leader said, "you will come with us peacefully, or my friends here will burn your kitty down. Are we clear?"

Liana growled low in her throat. If she were not behind these bars, she would make them eat those words.

Aeron gave her a calming look. "Very well, but if you harm her...."

"We won't, if you play fair. " The leader tapped a button on his wristcom and Aeron's door slid open. "Now, move."

He carefully stepped out of his cell, and paused to give Liana a reassuring smile. "May the Force be with you, Captain."

And then the eight Mandalorians led him down the hall and away.

***

Meena came awake slowly, lingering in the pleasant warmth of the bedcovers. Last night was still kind of a blur, especially to her sleep-addled mind. She remembered getting a drink with Cait... and then they'd started kissing... a lot... and then Cait had asked Meena back to her room, and then... oh.

Oh.

Oh, wow.

That explained a lot. This might be really awkward.

She opened her eyes, but she didn't even take note of the rest of Cait's room. Her gaze went straight to the woman still curled up next to her in the bed.

Cait might be still asleep, but was probably faking it. Meena had never seen anyone smile like that while out cold. After a moment, the redhead opened her eyes and the smile stretched into a wide, warm grin. "Good morning," she all but purred.

"Good morning," Meena said, smiling shyly. Cait really did have pretty eyes. "Um, what time is it?"

Cait's smile disappeared in a frown that Meena found did utterly kissable things to the woman's lower lip. "About half an hour after dawn. Late enough that I should be up and moving...." Instead, she burrowed deeper into the covers and snuggled up against Meena's arm. "As you can probably guess, I don't want to."

Meena giggled. It _was_ really nice and warm under the covers. She yawned and stretched, arching her back. Her muscles felt kind of sore. No wonder.

Cait watched her move in obvious appreciation, and Meena looked away, suddenly feeling very self-conscious.

"Is something wrong?" her companion asked.

She couldn't meet Cait's eyes. "I don't usually do stuff like... that... with someone I just met. I mean, I wasn't drunk. I really enjoyed it. I'm just not normally that...." Uninhibited? Crazy? Wild? Insane? She struggled for the right word.

"Bold, beautiful, confident, and utterly unforgettable?" Cait purred again. "If that isn't the mask you show to people, then I am honored to have seen beneath it."

Meena's cheeks felt like they were burning. "I'm not really anything that special...." 

"Don't." Cait rolled like a hunting feline, poised above Meena and readying herself to pounce. She took Meena's hand in hers, capturing her eyes in an unbreakable stare. "Don't do that. You not only diminish yourself, but you diminish what last night meant. Look, I ask nothing of you going forward. I wasn't looking for a relationship, I was looking for a... for I don't know what...."

She ran down and looked away. "Have you ever wondered why so much of our armor is identical?"

"Why?" Meena asked quietly, startled at the sudden change of topic.

Cait sighed and sat back on her haunches. "So that we present an intimidating, impersonal menace. The mask we wear, the sameness... after a while, it becomes who we are. I haven't gone this long out of my helmet since I was a child." Cait shook her head and continued on. "And then, I met you. A woman with more bravery and courage then ten warriors, and yet so full of life... When I am forced to look beneath my armor... the shell is empty, and cold. So when a bit of warmth was offered...."

Cait withdrew from the nest of blankets entirely and sat up on the edge of the bed, not looking at Meena, her bare back ramrod straight. "My people have a saying. 'The Now is All.' All we have is this moment. No future is guaranteed." She turned back to face Meena with eyes suddenly damp. "Even if it never happens again, our Now was very important to me. Please, don't diminish it?"

Meena sat up as well, clutching the blankets to her chest with one hand. "I'm sorry," she whispered, feeling sympathetic tears in her own eyes. To her, that seemed a very sad way to live. But then, she wasn't a warrior. "I didn't mean to. I guess I'm not used to looking at things that way. But I think I understand, at least a little bit."

Cait nodded, and a hint of her former smile returned. "I know how the galaxy must have treated you. I saw the look in your eyes when Lodus accosted you. The resignation.... I have shown you what is beneath my armor." She pressed Meena's free hand against her cheek.

"And I am proud," she said, "that you have shown me a glimpse of what lies beneath yours." She reached out and brushed a feather-light fingertip along the side of Meena's lekku.

Meena shivered a little at the touch, biting her lip. Was it bad that she wanted to kiss her again? She hesitated. Well, why not? They'd done that plenty last night. An uncomplicated fling might be nice.

She lunged forward to close the distance between herself and Cait, letting the blanket fall as she did.

Just before their lips met, Cait sighed. "You are making it _very_ difficult for me to go do my job..."

"I'm sorry," Meena said, pulling away just a little.

"No, you're not," Cait breathed.

"No," Meena grinned, "I'm not."

***

Renn woke first the next morning, with Kara still sleeping against him. As much as he wanted to stay here in her warm embrace, he needed to get going on the repairs as soon as possible. Once the ship was space-worthy again, then maybe they'd be able to get their friends and get the hell off this rock. He wasn't nearly as panicked now that Kara had assured him they were both still alive, but he would remain uneasy until they had them back.

He extricated himself from her arms carefully and got up to pull on a fresh set of clothes. She sighed in quiet disappointment as he left the bed, which made him think she might be more awake than she seemed.

He leaned over to brush her loose hair back from her face. "Sorry," he said, and planted a soft kiss on her forehead, "but I need to get to work."

Kara grumbled something into the covers that he couldn't quite make out, but he got the sentiment well enough. She wanted her warm pillow back. Renn chuckled and kissed her forehead again. "Go back to sleep, farm girl."

She didn't respond. He finished getting dressed as quietly as he could.

Before he left the room, he opened the hidden compartment in the wall above his bunk. He was slipping; this used to be the very first thing he'd check when getting back to the ship after being away.

He kept an emergency kit of sorts there: a spare blaster, a power pack, some physical credit chits, and a couple of false IDs, just in case. Maybe that was extra paranoid of him, but it gave him a little peace of mind to have it around. He dug through the handful of credit chits inside, finding one in the right amount. He put it in his pocket and sealed the wall back up, satisfied that everything else was still there.

He got himself a cup of caf in the galley, then got to work.

***

"Wow, you're almost done."

Renn came up out his focused state at the unexpected sound of Gat's voice. He hadn't even heard the man come in. He looked down at the cold, half-empty cup of caf on the floor next to him, mostly forgotten. It must have been a couple of hours since he'd started working, at least. "Huh? Yeah, I got an early start. Oh, here." He put his tools down and dug out the credit chit from his pocket, then tossed it to Gat. "One hundred Republic credits, as agreed," he said, grinning.

"Well, crap, Falani... what am I gonna give you grief over now?" Gat grinned back and pocketed the chit. "Listen, um... because I spent so much time helping you with the Wanderer, I'm a bit behind getting the Phoenix's engines back up. Gimme a hand?"

"Sure. Just let me get this put back first." After a few more minutes, Renn closed the wall panel he'd been working behind. The Wanderer's engines were fixed, at least. The rest of the ship would take a little more time, and some arc welders to fix the hull damage. He packed up his toolkit and got to his feet, nodding to Gat.

The Mandalorian led Renn into the bowels of the Phoenix's engine room. A half dozen techs swarmed over the pair of massive engine cores, but he could tell at a glance they were nearly done repairing whatever damage had been done. "Where do you need me?"

Gat nodded to the single large unit between the two engines. "Hyperdrive. I was fine-tuning the Alluvial dampers, but if you could take a look at the transition rig?"

"Yeah, sure." He crouched down and found the right panel.

After a few minutes, he sat back on his heels, frowning. "Hey, Gat, come look at this." When the Mandalorian joined him in front of the panel, Renn pointed out a couple of spots where metal had been bent out of shape. "That's not battle damage," he said, his voice pitched low so as not to carry to others. "Look at the angles. They're all too straight. That was done with a tool."

Now that he was looking at it again with Gat, Renn noticed something he'd missed the first time. "Oh, hell," he said. "Someone crossed the wires down here, too." He could see instantly what it was intended to do; if the Phoenix tried to go to hyperspace with that wiring glitch, the hyperdrive would explode, destroying the ship.

Gat peered into the space. "Huh... you're right. I'm gonna ask around, see if anybody was tinkering. Keep this under your hat, okay?" From his tone, Gat had realized the same thing Renn had.

As Renn started repairing the damage, Gat casually went around the engine room, speaking briefly with everyone. Most folks would probably just assume he was checking in, seeing where they needed more manpower.

"Hey!" An armored hand came down on Renn's shoulder and he was spun around. A beefy man in armor that barely fit his bulk held Renn pinned against the hyperdrive, a wrench held with professional menace in his other hand. "Clan Ordo send us a grease monkey so raw he don't have his beskar, yet?"

Apparently the news that they were guests hadn't reached everyone. Renn tried not to focus on the wrench, instead glaring back at the man. He knew enough about Mandalorians to know he had to not look afraid, at least. "I'm here at Gat's invitation," he said. "Ask him, if you don't believe me."

"Gat!" the big man bellowed. "You know this scrawny little moof milker?"

"Yeah," Gat said, coming over. "He's our guest, and he's helping us out with repairs."

The man released Renn from his grip. "Huh...? But that Clan Ordo wrench-slinger already fixed the transition rig."

Renn frowned and rubbed his shoulder. Ordo... wasn't that the clan in charge of this whole thing? Why would they sabotage an allied ship? It could be a frame-up job, maybe, but the simpler explanation... He looked at Gat. "Sounds like we should ask him some questions."

Gat nodded. "Where is this helpful Ordo?"

"He's lookin' over the vector manifolds. Can't miss 'im. He's wearing that ridiculous chromed-silver armor of theirs."

"Right," Gat said. "Come on, Renn. We'll start with the port side manifolds."

The pair of them left the engine room. "And we aren't enlisting help, why?" Renn asked. "I mean, I get not putting it on the ship's P.A. or whatever, but why not grab a few of those engine techs?"

"Do you honestly think Lug in there could sneak up on a corpse?" Gat responded.

Renn was about to point out that Lug had managed to sneak up on _him_ not five minutes earlier, but thought better of it.

"Rennie? Where are you two going?"

He turned. Meena and Cait were heading down the hallway toward them. Gat motioned them into a little alcove and brought the two women up to speed, stressing that the sabotage would have destroyed the ship had Renn not caught it.

"So, we think the guy's in one of the four main engine pods, assuming he's still on the ship at all," Gat finished.

Cait sighed. "I need this like I need a second Malachor. All right, we all spit up. Each take a pod. Meena and I'll go port, you two take starboard. If you find someone in silver armor, comm in. Don't engage. I want this slime beetle alive."

Renn and Gat split up when they reached the starboard side of the ship. Gat headed one way, and Renn went the other toward the engine pods.

At least the crawlspace to the engine had been built to accommodate Mando armor. It was downright roomy compared to some of the ones on the Wanderer. As Renn emerged into the wide open space of the engine pod, he caught sight of the silver armor. The man was crouched over something, holding a spanner.

Renn didn't think the saboteur had seen him yet. He tried to get out of view behind an outcropping of the bulkhead before he tapped his comm. "Got him at the lower starboard engine," he began, speaking as quietly as possible, but then he heard a sound of metal hitting metal. He peeked around the corner again. The armored figure had dropped his tool and straightened up, then seemed to focus on Renn.

He bolted for the exit, shoving Renn aside hard into the wall, before vanishing back into the crawlspace.

"Hell, he saw me and he's running," Renn said over his comlink, pulling himself up with a groan.

Cait's voice barked over the comm net. "Everybody converge!" Then over the Phoenix's address system, "Security! Someone wearing Clan Ordo armor is attempting to flee the ship. Detain them at once!"

Renn clawed his way back up the ladder at the end of the crawlspace, but he was still behind the Mando siblings as they pelted down the main corridor after the man in silver armor. An exterior hatch, perhaps fifty meters down the way stood open, a startled looking Mandalorian guard reacting to seeing his commander chasing someone towards him.

"Lodus! Stop him!" Cait cried, but Lodus didn't even have his weapon out before Meena appeared from another crawlspace, directly into the fleeing saboteur's path.

The Twi'lek didn't even hesitate. She lowered her stance and launched a very precise spin kick that was perfectly timed to catch the fleeing Ordo right in the front of the throat, where the armor was weakest, with the toe of her boot.

The man fell like a sack of root vegetables, clutching at his windpipe and gasping.

Cait and Gat stopped short, Renn almost crashing into them.

"Damn," Lodus muttered in admiration.

"Seconded," Gat added, surprised.

Cait looked smug.

Meena just stared at the collapsed man, her hand to her mouth, as if she didn't quite believe what she'd done.

"He bolted as soon as he saw me," Renn said. "He was working on the lower starboard engine. While you lot get him to a cell or something, we should make sure he didn't leave any more surprises behind."

"Good idea," Cait said. "Gat, you go with him." She and Lodus scooped their prisoner off the deck. "When you're done, meet us in the briefing room. I think it's about time we forced the issue with Clan Ordo."

Lodus and Cait hauled the saboteur away, Meena following in their wake.

"Hey, Falani," Gat asked as they turned to head back to the engines, "why was your friend wearing my sister's shirt?"

***

Aeron was led down several floors, across the facility, and then left alone in a bare room, surrounded on all sides by himself.

The room was ringed by floor-to-ceiling mirrors. The panes weren't placed at precisely right angles, so infinite reflections ran off at odd angles. The effect was highly disorienting. To further add to the effect, he sat manacled to a featureless, slightly reflective metal table, on a nondescript chair, facing the room's only point of visual certainty, the bare white door across the small space.

Aeron had to applaud the room's designers. As interrogation spaces went, this one was infinitely more disconcerting than some of the more lurid torture chambers he'd read about.

With no way of judging the time, he had no clue how long he'd been in the reflecting room. Now, that was a good name. The Room of Reflection. It sounded dignified.

It could have been hours or moments later when the blank, white door finally opened. A woman in impressive chromed-silver Mandalorian armor stood in the doorway, conversing with what looked like a pair bodyguards.

"No," she said. "Go on, I shan't need you." Aeron froze. He knew that voice, but he could not place from where.

"Yes, Baroness," the guards said, and bowed. She stepped fully into the room and closed the door.

"Baroness Ordo, I presume, by your clan emblem?" Aeron said. "I suppose I should be impressed."

"Aeron Rhade, formerly of the Jedi Order," she said in her damnably familiar voice. "You have picked a most inconvenient time to resurface."

"If my presence here is interfering with your butchering of the Castelli, then you have my least sincere apologies."

Baroness Ordo sighed. "You still believe yourself far more clever than you truly are, Padawan."

It clicked, even as she reached to remove her helmet.

She was surprisingly young, perhaps still in her early thirties. Her short hair was dark, and her eyes burned with a fiery intelligence that had cut through Aeron on more than one occasion.

Ashee Quinn, one of the five Masters of the Jedi Council.

Aeron tried to speak, but no words would come.

"Valen Kell sends his regards," she said around a grin that was devoid of any warmth. "He has missed his most obstinate student this last year or so. He is coming here. Can you feel it? He approaches the system even now."

"What in the Force are you doing here?" Aeron finally managed to ask.

Quinn smiled. "I am carrying out the Force's will. I am doing what must be done to bring order to the chaos that is slowly poisoning the galaxy." She placed her hands flat on the table and leaned toward him. "It is a path you, too, once walked, Rhade. You could do so again. Return to the light. Return to us."

"This is all some elaborate ruse, isn't it? This invasion... do your 'loyal troops' out there even know they're being led by a Jedi Master?"

"Many, yes. And you are not wrong, this is a ruse... one you stumbled across at an inopportune moment. But perhaps, yes... perhaps this is the Force's way of returning you to us. You will walk beside us once more, Rhade."

"You led an invasion of a peaceful world which the Jedi had sworn to protect. I don't know what your reasons were, and I don't care. I'll never join you."

"Actually," she said, and, as her smile grew, deep within himself, Aeron felt a hand on the vast stone blocking him from the river of the Force. The stone quivered, as if pleased. "I was not talking to you, Aeron."

***

Two hours later, Kara and her friends gathered in the Phoenix's briefing room, a circular space dominated by a large holo-projector in the center. Kara and Meena took one of the couches that ringed the projector. Renn and Gat sprawled across two of the other couches, looking tired. Cait leaned against the projector's table in the center.

"We didn't get spit from the saboteur," she said. "He still hasn't said a word."

Kara nodded. "I even examined him through the Music. His Song was bright and strong. Strong enough to keep me out. He kept Singing one phrase, though, 'Order rises out of Chaos,' over and over."

"Well, we had slightly better luck," Gat said. "The little vermin left a total of six different nasty little surprises for us."

"The one on the acceleration compensator was inventive," Renn said. "But we got them all sorted out."

"So," Meena asked from where she sat next to Kara, "what do we do next? It sounds like this Clan Ordo is trying to kill us."

"But that doesn't make any sense," Renn said. "They're running this thing, right?"

Cait nodded. "Baron Ordo's wife is in overall command.... But, to be honest, none of this makes a lick of sense to me."

Renn uttered a particularly vile curse. "We're a pinned sacrifice."

Kara blinked. "Excuse me, what?" 

"In Empire," he said, "when a powerful piece can't be moved, but will be allowed to be taken by another piece, it's called a 'pinned sacrifice.'" Renn looked up at Cait. "Someone wants your fleet here, and wants it to die."

Cait hung her head and sighed. "That fits, but it doesn't tell us what we should do."

He shrugged. "Not be here when that other piece shows up. Your engines are fixed. Let's go grab Liana and Aeron and the droids, and get the hell out of here."

"But, if we do that, we leave thousands of fellow warriors to die," Gat said. "No dice, Falani."

Cait shook her head. "No, Renn's right. We need to bug out, _now_. You two, prepare a vid message detailing everything the saboteur did, and how to fix it. Add in everything we recorded while interrogating that scumbag."

Meena was still confused. "How does that help? Why not just get on the comlink and let everyone else know?"

Kara snapped her fingers in sudden understanding. "Because if this ship sends the message, we're a target for whoever sent the scumbag!"

Cait nodded. "And we have to assume that's someone high in Clan Ordo leadership. They could just blast us from orbit and claim we were betraying the cause."

"So we'll have to send the message from elsewhere," Kara said.

Gat's face lit up "Like the place your friends are being held! They're in the central detention facility! It's got direct data feeds to government and law enforcement terminals all over Castell!"

"And with a little digital magic," Renn said with a smirk, "they won't even know where the message is being broadcast from, much less how to stop it."

"Get to it, guys," Cait said. "I'm going to get the ship prepared for departure on our return."

Kara cocked her head. "'Our' return?"

Cait nodded firmly. "Yeah, _you_ don't have the authority to stroll into that fortress. But I do."


	8. Shadows

Kara stormed out of her room and quite literally ran into Renn on his way by. He grabbed hold of her shoulders to keep them both upright.

Her usual, comfortable ship knits and tunic were gone, exchanged for the tighter bodysuit she'd borrowed from Meena when they crashed on Castell. Her hair was different, too, not pulled back in a high ponytail but loose and combed over one eye. She'd stashed her lightsabers and their weapons belt in the room behind her.

"Renn, do you have any idea where Liana keeps her spare gun belt? I just tore our room apart looking for it."

"Huh?" He stared at her a moment, taking in the different look. "Why do you need a gun belt? And what's all this for?"

"I'm going with you. Obviously, I can't bring my lightsabers, so I need a blaster."

"Can you even shoot a blaster?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

She glared at him. "I'm beginning to feel the need to demonstrate."

"Damn, farm girl." He released her shoulders and took a step back. "Look, I don't think it's a good idea for you to come with us."

She crossed her arms over her chest. Her voice dropped from cold to arctic. "Oh?"

Renn held up his hands. "What if someone recognizes you? Cait did."

"Then I'll vent some frustration on them."

"Kara, I'm serious! They were looking for us specifically, remember? They know who we are." He shook his head. "Me, they'll throw in a cell. I'm just a smuggler. But the Mandos have it in for Jedi. I know you're not a Jedi, but if they suspect you are...." He trailed off, unable to finish that thought aloud.

"So, what?! You want me to sit on my hands and stay behind?! They're my friends, too, Renn! This is why we came, isn't it?!"

"I know! I know. But, listen... we'll have a better chance getting them out if we can get in quietly. If we draw too much attention, we can just forget about the rescue." He met her eyes. "Besides, what if things _do_ go sideways? Then what? All four of us, and Cait and Gat, too, would be captured. I love Meena, but she's not a rescue party by herself, even with a ship full of Mandos who _might_ help."

"I-" She ran down and sighed. "I hate it when you're kriffing right."

"I know." He smirked and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I'm sorry it happens so often."

She found that smirk both amazingly charming and supremely frustrating at the same time. But she just growled, hugging him back.

"I'm gonna pay for that later, aren't I?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah."

***

Two hours later, Renn strode up to the central detention facility's main gate, hands bound before him in a pair of shock-cuffs. Cait and Gat, sealed in their armor, walked to either side of him, Gat roughly shoving him every so often.

"Have I mentioned before how much I hate this plan?" Renn asked.

Gat shoved him again. "Quiet, prisoner!"

"You're enjoying this way too much," Renn muttered.

"Hey, it was Kara's idea," Gat muttered back. Cait shushed them both as they neared the outer perimeter station. Several concentric rings of fencing, topped with razor-studded electro wire stood between them and the center proper. The station was manned by a pair of Mandalorians in armor bearing clan markers Renn didn't recognize. At least they weren't more Ordos.

"Halt!" one said, bringing his rifle up.

"Stow that garbage!" Cait said. "I'm Commander Cait Rook. We're bringing this scum in on orders."

The guard snapped to attention. "Ma'am! We just need to confirm his scan."

Cait produced Renn's identi-card and the guard swiped through his scanner. It beeped and scrolled data. "Renn... Falani? I've heard that name before..."

"Gat," the other guard said through a chuckle, "isn't this the guy who you've been saying owes you fifty credits for just shy of... forever? Hope he paid you back at least..."

"Nah," Gat said. "I didn't get no fifty credits back... but he had a _hundred_ on him so..."

Everyone except Renn and Cait laughed.

"Just let us in," Cait demanded, before she started muttering about being reduced to trash detail.

The gate slowly rose and Gat resumed shoving Renn forward.

"Ow," Renn said under his breath.

At the entrance to the facility itself was another pair of guards, who waved them through after another glance at Renn's identi-card. "Block K23," one of the guards directed them. "That's where we're keeping the rest of 'em."

"Much obliged," Cait said. She turned to Gat. "Let's go get this guy on ice."

***

Deep within himself, Aeron screamed.

The multitudes of reflections, the infinite views of himself all clenched in dizzying patterns of agony... but that was merely surface pain, barely a trifle. Within, Aeron was tearing apart. His mind splintered and his soul lay about him in tattered shreds.

Dimly, he was aware of an insistent beeping, and the pain subsided.

That should have brought relief, but all it meant was numbness, absence of sensation. Deep within the prison of his own spirit, Aeron wept.

Ashee Quinn sighed, replaced her helmet and triggered her wristcom. "Yes?"

A masculine voice came over the speaker. It was small and muffled to Aeron, but on some intellectual level, the words were interpreted and understood.

"My Baroness, dozens of Republic warships are emerging from hyperspace. They are establishing formations just past our lines."

"I see," she said. "Rally our defenses in orbit. They will attempt to break our lines and land troops. Let them. Move our ground forces away from the cities... When the Republic lands, their efforts will be divided between establishing defensive perimeters and seeing to the civilians. That's when we move back in and eradicate our foes."

"It will be done, My Baroness."

"For Mandalore and the glory of Clan Ordo," she said, and cut the comm.

"Master Kell is earlier than I expected," Quinn said in anticipation. "This will be such a... memorable dance."

Aeron's eyes watched her turn and stride to the door. "You two, guards," she said. "Take this man back to his cell. Secure him there and then sound the general alarm. The Republic is here... I shall make for my flagship, to greet them properly.

She turned to look back at Aeron as she left. He did not need to use the Force to feel her distaste at leaving a job half finished... but for now other matters demanded her attention.

'Rhade could keep,' he felt her thoughts, 'for now...'

***

In high orbit above Castell, hundreds of war ships reverted from hyperspace, their weapons primed and their arsenals aimed at the planet below.

In the Emancipator's Fleet Tactical Center, just aft of the bridge, Jedi Master Kell surveyed a holographic representation of the battle. The three-dimensional projections were dense with data. He had a far superior view of the battle watching the holographic light than if he'd merely looked out a viewport. Besides, watching the light had a nice sound to his inner ear.

The Mandalorians clearly hadn't expected so overwhelming a response. They were hastily consolidating forces, and that opened up slight gaps in their formations.

"Captain," Kell said through the comlink built into his seat. "The first, second, and third assault groups are to advance behind the seventh tactical wing. Deploy starfighters and attack bombers to clear their path. Have we identified their command group yet?"

The Emancipator's captain responded over the comlink. "Intel says the majority of enemy comm traffic is coming from the formation thirty degrees to port, just spinward of Castell's capital."

The designated formation lit up with additional information.

"Good," Kell said. "The rest of the first fleet is to focus fire on the Mandalorian command group. As the second and third fleets revert to normal space, have them contain the enemy flanking forces." He smiled as best as his ruined visage could. "We don't want to have to go hunting for them later."

"Yes, Admiral," the Captain said.

"Now, put me through to Master Quinn with the first assault group." It took several moments, and even when established, the connection was only a poor grade audio signal.

"Master Kell?" she said through a barrage of static.

"Master Quinn, I am advancing you, and two other assault groups, under tactical cover. When your ships are positioned for landfall at the designated coordinates, you and your rocket troops are to deploy to the planet's surface. Establish a beachhead so we can begin landing regular ground forces."

"Acknowledged, Master. Launch rocket troops and establish safe landing zone."

This was the trickiest part. If anything was going to go wrong with the plan, it was here. "Be careful, Ashee," Kell said. The concern went against protocol, but they had been through too much together for that to matter. "May the Force be with you."

At last the comm techs found a clear spot in the jamming and counter-jamming, and Ashee Quinn's reply came through clear. Her voice was warm, and surprisingly tender. "May it be with us all, Valen."

And then she was gone.

***

Liana started up from the floor when the turbolift opened. A pair of Mandalorian guards dragged Aeron after them. Only a pair, not the eight that had taken him. He hung limply from their arms. "Aeron!"

"You, shut up!" one of the guards said. They opened Aeron's cell and tossed him inside. He fell in a heap on the floor, not moving. Liana's tail lashed angrily. What had they done to him?!

After the guards left, she tried calling to him a few more times, but he did not stir. She sank down to the floor of her own cell, angry and worried and frustrated. If she were not trapped in here, she would tear apart every last one of these....

The sound of the turbolift opening again penetrated the haze of her anger. Liana growled, not bothering to look up at their new tormentors. "Look at him. What more do you expect him to tell you?!" she said.

"He usually doesn't tell us much to begin with," came a familiar sardonic voice.

"Renn?!" Liana leapt up again. Her partner was cuffed and captured, with two guards escorting him. "Are you...? Is...?" She wanted to ask where Kara was, about how he got here and how he got caught, but she didn't want to alert the guards in case he was planning something. She made a nodding gesture toward the camera on the ceiling, falling silent again.

"Right," Renn said. He looked at his guards. The male shot out the camera and walked off down the cell bay, while the female pulled both her blasters and turned her back on Renn.

"What is going on?" Liana asked as Renn's cuffs snapped open.

"Jailbreak," he said as he went to work on her cell's lock. "These are Cait and Gat, they're... friends. Just don't play Pazaak with Gat. He cheats."

"I heard that, Falani," Gat said from the far side of the room.

Her cell door slid open.

Liana bolted toward Aeron's cell. "Get it open, Renn. Now."

Renn bent to work on the lock on Aeron's cell. After a moment, the second cell door slid open.

Liana was at the Jedi's side as soon as the door had opened wide enough for her to get through. She crouched down next to him. "Aeron?" He didn't move. Aeron's eyes were open and he stared at her, but he wasn't responding.

"What the hell?" Renn frowned. "What happened to him?"

"They took him away, maybe a few hours ago. I am not sure how long. And he was like this when they brought him back just now. He won't respond to anything." This was different from the drugs, and this was not from a stunner.

"Torture, maybe?" Renn asked.

Liana shook her head. Her tail lashed again. "I do not know. It doesn't appear to be physical, at any rate." From across the way, T5 started beeping frantically. "Get the droids. I can manage here." She tried to lift Aeron into a sitting position, while Renn started working on getting B4 and T5 out of their respective cells and functional. "Wait, where is Kara?" 

"She's waiting for us back on the Wanderer. Which is currently on _their_ ship, in one of the hangar bays." Renn nodded toward the Mandalorians. "It's a long story, but she'd be way too conspicuous for this." He freed T5, who beeped angrily and rolled over to Liana. Renn shook his head at the little droid and went to get B4.

The male Mandalorian, Gat, returned. "Message is sent. Let's get the hell out of here."

Once B4 had been reactivated, Liana enlisted his help carrying Aeron's limp form. "So... what _is_ the plan for getting out of here?" she glanced between Renn and his new friends.

"We've got a dropship coming to one of the roof landing pads," Cait said, then she suddenly looked up, as if listening. A moment later, the alarms sounded all over the complex.

"We're blown!" Renn said in dismay.

"No," Cait said. "That isn't because of us."

Liana was rapidly approaching the end of her patience. "What is it, then?!"

"A Republic fleet is putting in," Gat said. "They're demanding the surrender of the Mandalorian forces."

"We need to move, now," Cait said. "This way." She led them back toward the turbolift, but the doors slid open as they reached it and four armed guards charged out.

Cait didn't hesitate. She dropped to one knee and sprayed a field of blaster bolts along the hallway, Gat doing the same at head height, narrowly missing Liana and Renn as he did so.

The four guards didn't know what hit them.

They piled into the lift. It was a tight fit, but they all made it. Cait pressed a concealed button on the side of her helmet. "Lug? Lug, do you copy...? Yeah, northwest corner…. We'll probably be coming out hot so don't be late…. Right, out."

"Wait," Renn said. "Lug? From the engine room, Lug?!"

His tone gave Liana a very bad feeling about this.

"Best dropship pilot in the galaxy," Gat said. "And twice as crazy as the next guy."

"When we get to the top," Cait said, "we'll be in a long hallway, not much cover. There are about a dozen guards down the left side of the hallway, but our way out is to the right. Gat and I will step out first, and try to block their view. The rest of you, turn right out of the lift and head down the hall as quick as you can. There shouldn't be guards on the pad or the door, but there are snipers in the watchtowers, so don't go outside until Lug gets here."

The lift door opened on a long straight hallway.

Cait and Gat stepped out and blocked the hallway, motioning the rest down the other way like they were directing traffic. Liana and B4, with Aeron slung between them, piled out. They were followed by Renn. They made their way quickly towards the exterior door at the end, and the landing pad beyond it. T5 trundled along behind them.

"What's all this?!" Heavy footsteps sounded and Liana quickened her pace.

"Medical transfer," Cait said, turning to stall the guards. "Had some sort of seizure. We're taking him to a hospital...."

A new klaxxon joined the cacophony of the alarms. "Prisoner escape! Block K23!"

Everyone stated shooting.

There wasn't a great deal of cover in the hallway, but Liana managed to get Aeron tucked out of the way in a doorway. Renn had dived into another doorway on the other side of the hall.

T5, however, rolled right down the middle, back the way they'd come. He beeped a firm message that Liana couldn't understand.

"What do you mean you'll 'cover us'?" B4 said to the astromech. "You only THINK you're a combat machine, you know!"

In response, the little droid let fly with a dense cloud of thick white vapor which obscured the entire hall.

"His firefighting aerosol?!" Renn said.

But the maniacal little droid wasn't done yet. Liana had forgotten that before she and Aeron had been taken into custody, she'd hidden Aeron's lightsaber with the droid... but T5 hadn't, apparently. He ignited the blade and charged forth into the mist, chortling in mechanical glee.

Renn looked across the hall at Liana in horror. "You gave him a _lightsaber?"_

"I didn't have a lot of choice at the time," she growled back.

Cait and Gat stumbled out of the fog. Their armor bore some new scorch marks.

"That-" Cait said in a shaky voice. "That little murderbot is out of his mind!"

The sound of engines tearing through the sky announced the arrival of the Mandalorian dropship. The blaster fire from the end of the hallway dropped to nothing and T5 rolled back toward them, beeping in smug pride.

They piled into the dropship and the pilot sent it hurtling up into the air. "Everybody brace yerselves!" the pilot said over the P.A. "Fighting's getting crazy in orbit! Phoenix is airborne an' comin to pick us up!"

"How far out are they?!" Gat said as the ship banked sharply away from fire.

"No kriffing clue!" Lug snapped back. "Our comms are all out due to Republic jamming!"

"What?!" Cait asked. "Did our message get out?!"

"Bits of it, yeah! Now shut up and let me fly, huh?!"

Cait turned back to the others. "Republic tech can't blanket-jam our tac nets! At least they've never been able to before..."

"Please, Renn," Liana said, "tell me what is going on!"

Renn opened his mouth to answer, but then the ship began climbing, rolling and diving through heavy cannon fire and everyone's stomachs and feet traded places. The moment was irrevocably lost.

***

The Republic fleet pressed in hard against the Mandalorian lines, and the lines grew taut.

In all quadrants, the Free Mandalorian Fleet gave ground. Their capital ships could not communicate with their escorts or their fighter screens, except by blinker code... and if they came close enough to use that, they lost the ability to maneuver.

The Republic's stunning victory on the electronic warfare front had given them an unbeatable advantage... but it came at a cost. The Republic forces, too, could not communicate over distance.

However, Valen Kell thought, there are ways around that.

He turned to the three Masters who knelt on the far side of the room. The three who had been as one since beyond living memory. In the Force, their shared aura was blinding. They did not focus as separate beings, but as a collective whole. Their reach into the past, the present and even the future was... daunting. Even Kell, perhaps one of the greatest Force-adepts in the history of the Jedi order, stood in awe of their gifts.

He bowed his head in reverence. "Masters, has the moment arrived?"

The concordant answer of the three who were one was a simple yes.

Kell sighed. The most distasteful of duties was upon him. He accepted the yoke and bent his will to the events which would shape the galaxy.

'Master Quinn,' he said into the Force, sending his thoughts to his trusted right hand, 'begin the final phase....'

***

With great relief, Master Ashee Quinn set aside the armor she'd worn for the last year. With it she abandoned the title of Baroness Ordo. At last, she could be herself once more.

'I hear and obey, Master,' she returned through the Force. The stage was now set, and it was time to take her proper place.

Liberally dousing the shed armor with a liquid thermal agent, Quinn stepped back and extended the tip of her lightsaber to the pooling material.

There was no explosion as the liquid superheated, but the beskar-iron armor of Baroness Ordo burned under the intense heat, eventually becoming a puddle of indistinct slag and molten metals.

"Now, my Shadows," Quinn said aloud, as her mind reached out to those special souls she had lovingly tended and cared for. Those gifted few who had been secreted among the warring sides. "Order shall rise from chaos."

***

The Sixth Corellian Jump Brigade had been given the honor of being the first Republic rocket troops to land on Castell. Their freefall had been uneventful. It seemed like the Mandos were trying to flee the city before the Republic forces could close with them.

Touching down over a wide area, the Sixth's first job was to rally. Unfortunately, a small group of them stumbled on a column of Mandos on their way out.

The Corellians were outnumbered, and outgunned. The fight was over in a short, bloody minute, but now every Republic trooper for miles knew where the Mandalorian column was, and they all converged like avenging demons.

In the midst of one such group ran Nor Genik, Jedi Knight. He heard Master Quinn's command, and obeyed. Slowing his pace, he allowed the troops to outrace him. By the time he arrived, the sides were evenly matched, and that just would not do.

Genik, like all of Master Quinn's students, her Shadows, had one great skill. He reached forth with his mind and found the bright sparks of all the Republic troopers' hearts. In each soldier, burned the fire of war, the drive to protect one's comrades and defeat one's enemies. Such fires could never be extinguished, but they could be lulled into satisfaction.

Into each Republic soldier, Genik projected the feeling of a job well done; of a battlefield claimed for the Republic and a mountain of slain bucketheads to sing their praises all the way to hell.

The blaster fire became very one sided, but Genik was not yet finished. 'Go,' he spoke to their desires. 'Go to their lines, and find a trophy. Claim a token of your bravery."

Not all the soldiers walked directly into the withering storm of Mandalorian fire, but enough took those final steps. As for the ones who had resisted, Genik raised a discarded enemy rifle, and saw to them personally.

He heard the searing buzz of a lightsaber and looked to the Mandalorian lines. The other side was just as dead as his own charges. Two figures in Mandalorian armor but bearing ignited lightsabers paused to look toward Genik.

"Order," the three Shadows said in unison, "rises out of chaos."

Then they turned back to their respective sides of the conflict, to join their comrades in their bloody work.

***

With both Cait and Gat off the ship, command of the Phoenix had fallen to a man named Sallis Haws. A warrior of long and loyal service to Clan Rook, Sallis was built like a Wookiee: all muscle and, thanks to his long and wild beard, hairy to boot.

Meena didn't think he liked her or Kara very much.

The two of them waited together in a rear corner of the bridge, trying to stay out of the way and keep quiet. They were both terrible at it.

After he had caught Kara pacing for the dozenth time, Sallis's civility evaporated.

"With respect, the both of you... clear the bridge," he told them, in a tone that said he'd rather take them by the scruffs of their necks and fling them through the open hatch before sealing it.

Kara looked a bit indignant, then embarrassed, but Meena had just said, "Of course, Captain. Sorry to be such a bother," and steered her friend straight out the door.

Two hallways later, Kara finally gave vent to the anger Meena could tell was beginning to boil. "The- the _nerve_ of that man...."

Meena raised both hands, trying to calm her friend down. "Hey, we were in the way up there. They all have important work to do, and babysitting us isn't part of it."

Kara let out a huge, frustrated sigh. "Yeah, you're right. It's just... I feel so damn useless."

Meena laughed. "Welcome to my club. I haven't been useful since we left Nal Yeshu."

"Now, that's just not true," Kara said. "You took down that Ordo saboteur before they got away."

"Yeah," Meena said, "but..."

Kara interrupted her. "And from what I heard, that was really badass. Guy was twice your size and you felled him like a tree. You should have seen the look on Cait's face when she told me about it. I thought she was gonna burst, she was so proud."

"Oh?" Meena asked, trying not to blush.

"Yeah, she was beaming. Ear to ear smile. I think she might, uh… you know." Kara trailed off with a wicked grin.

"Kara Tao Vanden!" Meena was shocked and giggling at at the same time. "Stop teasing me this instant!"

A sudden alarm klaxon cut off whatever Kara was going to say next. "Security to the brig!" someone screamed over the ship's intercom. "That Ordo is slaughtering...!" The speaker never finished, ending in a horrible gurgle.

The brig was nearby. Before Meena could even blink, Kara had bolted for it.

***

Kara beat the security response.

She burst through the brig's outer hatch, hand on her lightsaber, to find the Ordo breaking into the locker where his effects were stored. He suddenly lashed out with a blue-bladed lightsaber of his own.

Both ends of Kara's staff were lit in the same instant and she parried the blow. But her assailant was better trained than she, and he stepped out of her counter-thrust.

"You're a Jedi?!" Kara said in shock.

The man sneered at her in a tone of utter contempt. "Order... rises."

He charged her. The exchange was brief, and deadly. Golden and azure blades flashing, they collided with each other in a storm of thrust, parry, strike and spin. Half a dozen armored Clan Rook warriors had followed her in, but all kept their distance from that deadly cascade of light.

Kara knew she could never take him alive, so she bowed to the will of the Music. She caught his blade high with one end of her staff, then separated the blade, sweeping the unblocked half through the Jedi's midsection in a vicious swipe.

The man fell in two piles of limbs.

"Out... of chaos..." he breathed, and died.

Kara closed down her own blades, and stooped to claim the fallen Jedi's weapon. It looked exactly like Aeron's.

Over the intercom, a disembodied voice announced the approach of the dropship.

***

The Rook's dropship didn't really land aboard the Phoenix. Lug cut the engines at the last moment and the craft scraped its way across the entirety of the landing bay.

Renn was waiting by the hatch. As soon as the ship came to a halt, he scrambled out and headed straight for the Wanderer. Their ship wasn't space-worthy yet, so their survival depended on the Phoenix, and the Mandalorians were running deaf and blind without comms right now.

He rushed right by Kara as she ran toward the dropship. Meena was two strides behind her.

"Where are you going?" Kara said as he went by.

"I need to get to my computer station," Renn said, not slowing down even as Kara turned to follow him. He was sure the Phoenix had a perfectly nice computer system, but it wasn't _his._ "They're jamming comms. I need to try to break through."

She trailed him all the way back to their ship. He went to his station in the cockpit, furiously bringing up displays to analyze the jamming signal and its frequency.

"How can you do that?" She slipped into one the seats behind him.

Renn paused just long enough to give her a level look.

"Right," she said. "Over the farm girl's head. Sorry, continue."

"I'll explain it all later, if you really want." Renn chuckled despite himself, his eyes already back on his display. "It might bore you, though... wait, what?" He frowned at what his console was telling him. "That can't be right... They're not just jamming us, they're jamming everything."

"Why would they be jamming themselves?" Kara said. "That doesn't make any sense."

"The only way that works is if they have some other way to communicate that isn't affected," Renn said, distracted. Something about that nagged at him, but he didn't have time to think through it now. He was busy trying to follow the signal back to its source.

A single Republic ship was responsible... but it wasn't just sending out its jamming signal indiscriminately. It was listening, too. Any time a new frequency would begin broadcasting, it started jamming the new one as well. It was actually pretty clever.

He could do something with that. He was going to have to piggyback on their own signal to get anywhere, though. His mind was already racing ahead of his fingers as they flew across the panel in front of him. There was no time for anything fancy. He was just going to have to brute force it.

He flooded the Republic ship's computer with garbage data and commands. The jamming ended as their computer ate itself, stuck in a feedback loop from the code coming back in along its own signal.

"Ha, gotcha," Renn said. He opened opened a comm channel and found a Mando frequency, so he could tell the Phoenix they should be clear.

The Mandalorian communication lines were flooded with distress calls and desperate pleas for help, for information, for orders. No one was taking charge. It was a cacophony of voices, all shouting into the void. Absolute and total chaos.

Renn turned to look back at Kara, his eyes wide. "What the hell is happening out there?!"

***

Meena hesitated as Kara followed after Renn. She hung back, too, as Cait and her brother took off next. There wasn't really anything she could do to help either of them, and she'd only get in the way or distract them.

When no one else emerged from the dropship immediately, she came over and stuck her head inside the hatch. Liana and her droids were struggling with....

"Aeron!" Meena said. "Oh no! Is he okay?"

Liana shook her head. She looked exhausted, and worried. "We need to get him to the medbay, and I am still injured myself."

Meena came over to Aeron's side. "Aeron?" His eyes stared through her, as if he didn't even recognize her. She could feel tears threatening, but she held them back. That was the last thing anyone needed right now.

Liana gratefully let Meena take Aeron's weight and rubbed her bandaged arm. She looked down at T5. "Go back to the Wanderer in case Renn needs any help."

The little droid beeped agreement, and pulled the repair arms that he'd had extended back inside. Meena couldn't quite see what it was he was holding, but Liana sighed heavily at him. "Just for now. You'll give Aeron's lightsaber back when he wakes up." He trilled something again and rolled off. It sounded vaguely rude.

Meena gave Liana a questioning look. "It would take too long to explain," the Trianii said. "We need to move, now."

Meena was quite a bit shorter than Liana, but she tried her best to help support Aeron's weight as the four of them made their slow way to the Phoenix's medbay.

***

"Captain! We got comms back!" shouted the communications officer as Cait entered the bridge. "Frequencies are a mess though!"

"It's all going to kriff out there!" Cait said as Sallis got out of the Captain's chair. "What's our status?"

Sallis looked glad to hand command of the ship over. "We're making for what passes for our lines. Ship is at max combat effectiveness."

"Passes for our lines?" Cait said.

"This isn't a fleet engagement," Sallis said in disgust. "It's more like a fleet tavern brawl. There's no tactics, no coordination. Every ship out there is slugging away at any patch of light they _think_ might be an enemy vessel. I'm surprised we haven't seen any collisions yet."

Cait spun to the two duty stations at the front of the bridge. "Operations! Can we get any kind of tactical view?"

The sensor tech at the Operations console grimaced. "Coming on the main screen now, Commander," she said. "But it's hard to make out what's what through all the chaos."

The main screen went from a view of local space to a confusing mass of blinking indicators. The sensor tech had a talent for understatement, Cait thought.

Sallis rose from his chair and stared in disbelief. "Wait, what are those Clan Ordo battleships doing?"

Cait saw it. The backbone of the Free Mandalorian Fleet stood between a line of six massive dreadnaughts and the Republic ships. The big Mandalorian ships should be pointed toward the enemy, using the smaller ships for cover as they fired their overwhelming arsenals against their Republic counterparts. But instead, their bows were facing downward...

...at the planet.

Cait screamed in horror and rejection as the Free Mandalorian Fleet — the cause to which her clan had pledged their lives, loyalty and blood — commited mass murder against the planetary population.

***

Kara and Renn were halfway to the medbay and their friends, when suddenly they felt the Phoenix shudder. Renn looked around in alarm, but Kara collapsed to her knees.

Fear. Fear, terror and tragedy. It washed through her in a great wave, swamping her like a tiny boat caught in the fury of all the oceans of the world.

Renn reached out to steady her, but she barely felt his hands on her shoulders as she shattered. Great tracks of tears flowed down her cheeks and her mouth stood agape in shock.

He knelt beside her, pulling into his arms. "Kara? What's wrong?"

"So- so many people are dying," Kara's voice shook at the enormity of it all. "Thousands... _millions._ All at once, all over the planet. So many Songs, ending in a flash...."

***

Cait whirled to the communications station. "Boomer! Get me a clear comm channel right the krif now!"

"I can't! The jamming is gone, but everyone's screaming at each other. The channels are all clogged with traffic."

"What the hell is Command thinking?!" she said to herself. "Boomer, what's Command saying?"

"They're not!" he said. "Apparently, no one's _seen_ the Baroness, or any of the higher ranking members of Clan Ordo, in two hours. Command is paralyzed."

"Then we're on our own," Cait said. She turned to survey the carnage. The Phoenix, a light cruiser, against six dreadnaughts designed to take on whole fleets single-handed.

"Perhaps we could-" Sallis began, but Cait stopped him.

"All we could do is die in the attempt," she said low, her voice like ash. "Drop a hyperwave comm buoy then jump to hyperspace. Get us out of here."

Sallis nodded woodenly. "Aye, Commander. Nav! Plot us a course out of here. Boomer, prep that comm buoy and drop it when ready. Also, begin recording all communications and sensor data."

As the bridge crew acknowledged, Sallis hit the intercom button. "Gat, are we good for hyperdrive?"

From the engine room, Gat said, "Clear, but short-range jumps only."

Cait just wanted to go find a private spot and throw up. But her clan and her crew needed her. "Nav," she said, fighting down the storm of grief, betrayal and horror within her, "just put us into the black... as far out as you can."

"Course is ready and locked in. Hyperdrive standing by."

"Get us out of here," she said.

And through a gap just barely large enough in an uncontested sector of Castell's orbit, the Phoenix fled.


	9. Ashes

Valen Kell stood on the surface of Castell, in a crater caused by one of the Free Mandalorian dreadnaughts' massive cannons. The crater stretched perhaps a quarter kilometer across, and maybe a dozen meters deep at its center.

Seeing the devastation up close wrenched at Kell's soul. Above, with the Republic fleet, he could console his grief with the knowledge that the sacrifice was worth it. That all the pain and destruction had been a necessary evil, and the plan had required the death of Castell to save the life of the galaxy.

But here, standing in the ashes, he could no longer lie to himself.

It may have been necessary, he told himself, but that did not diminish the fact that it was also evil. At least the Silent core within himself felt sated by all the lives ended so abruptly bare hours before. It sickened Kell that any part of him felt satisfaction, and he rededicated himself to the vision, to the cause. This would not be in vain.

Behind him, at a respectful distance, stood Ashee Quinn, again clothed in her soft brown robes. Her presence was a comfort in these dark days, a balm to Kell's weary heart. In the year and more since that girl's awakening, and the events which had far exceeded even the council's foresight, Ashee Quinn had been more than just the rock beneath his feet.

It had been his thought that Bladedancer's kin would deal with the rogue Sith Avatar, and that, in so doing, she would awaken to her own inner power.

But the Force had other plans that day.

Kara Tao Vanden had indeed awakened to her power, but in so doing had seared the entire galaxy, perhaps even beyond. She had become not merely an avatar of the light, as Kell had intended, but of the entirety of the Force itself. All life in the galaxy, Force-sensitive and otherwise, had flowed through her one, singular focus.

Through the prism of her will, the Force had become a blinding radiance... and it had burned Kell nigh unto ash. He spent the next year doing little more than healing the small speck of Silence within himself. But now the plan could resume.

He huddled deeper into his robes, trying not to notice their usual gleaming white had dulled from the dust that was all that remained of countless lives.

"Master Quinn," he said without turning. "There is... something?"

"Yes, Master Kell. I had no chance to tell you before now, but there was a slight complication."

"You mean the one Clan Rook cruiser that survived? I have dispatched a dozen Republic warships to dog its track."

"No, Master. Before your arrival, I had a... reunion of sorts."

"Reunion?" he asked, turning at last. "With whom?"

"Aeron Rhade. He was here, on Castell during the invasion. He and the Captain of the crew he's been travelling with."

"I see. Where is he now?"

"Gone. Apparently, the rest of his shipmates mounted a rescue, with the aid of Clan Rook."

"Bladedancer was here?" he asked in shock. "In the battle?"

"There are no reports of her," she said. "But that does not mean she wasn't... though I felt no sign of her presence either."

"Her presence on a rogue Mandalorian starship that knows the truth of Castell... that could be disastrous. We must accelerate the plan."

"Indeed." She nodded.

"You and I will return to Coruscant immediately. Have my ship prepared, and gather all the remaining Shadows. We will have need of their aid."

As Ashee Quinn turned to see to her orders, Valen Kell bent down and lifted a charred bit of plastic from the blackened soil. The aura clinging to it said it had once been a toy, a child's plaything. But it, and its previous owner, were slagged, melted beyond all recognition by actions Kell had been forced to take.

By physical strength alone, he crushed the husk to a fine powder, which the wind carried away from his open hand.

No, this would not be in vain.

***

Cait of Clan Rook sat alone in her room aboard the Phoenix. The only light came from a small hand lamp on the desk. Next to the lamp, and piled on the floor, were the pieces of her armor. It had picked up some new scars, carbon scoring from near misses, and a few not-so near misses that had also left bruises beneath her beskar iron.

With her ship, her people, now safe in the interstellar blackness between systems, Cait had gone to her cabin to strip off her armor, tend her injuries, and lick her wounds.

She wished for all the galaxy that Meena was here, but she'd not left the mind-addled Jedi's side since Lug had brought the rescued prisoners aboard. That girl captivated Cait's thoughts in a way that was probably not healthy for a commander of warriors in the field.

She'd laid her weapons belt aside, let the beskar plates fall at her feet one by one and then unzipped and peeled out of the bodysuit the armor plates attached to. Throwing the suit into the laundry unit, she'd retreated to the 'fresher, to stand beneath the cascading streams of hot water... although the way Meena's eyes slipped past the years of cultural taboos and personal denials made her think about shifting the temperature as low as possible.

Now, dressed only in her skivvies, she sat in the darkness. The smell of solvents stung her nose as she once more dipped the polishing cloth and scrubbed at the scarred armor.

Unbidden, the memory of those terrible few moments after the battle rose once more. The communications buoy had relayed everything in gruesome detail....

The Republic ships smashing their way through the Free Mandalorian Fleet's defensive lines.

Mandalorian ships exploding as they tried to retreat, proof their message about sabotage hadn't gotten as far as they'd hoped.

Entire banks of escape pods on the FMF ships detonating as the crews of dying vessels tried to abandon ship.

The dreadnaughts expending their arsenals against the Castelli, and then, when their weapons had run dry, crashing bodily into the planet's remaining population centers.

And through it all, the Republic fleet killing her kind in the name of freedom and democracy.

The Free Mandalorian Fleet had come to Castell not to conquer, but to bring attention to the plight of the Mandalorian people. A proud culture crushed beneath the weight of reparations and a treaty meant to destroy not just their ability to make war, but their very way of life itself.

In the end, they'd been dupes. Whatever Clan Ordo had gotten out of it all, Cait hoped it had been worth the blood... innocent and otherwise.

***

Meena wandered for a little while, aimlessly, through the Phoenix's corridors, not wanting to go back to her room alone. The halls were quiet and solemn in the aftermath of the battle; she saw almost no one, and those few she did see let her pass undisturbed.

She had been hovering anxiously over Aeron in the medbay, but the Phoenix's medtechs finally chased her out so they could finish checking him and Liana over.

Figures, she was just in the way again.

She found herself outside Cait's door without realizing she had come that way. She paused there for a moment.

She was worried about Cait, too. She'd seen how beat up the woman's armor looked briefly after the dropship had landed. Not to mention everything else that had happened. Cait had to be in so much pain right now....

Meena hesitated, her hand over the intercom button next to the door. Then she finally pressed it. Immediately she clasped both hands behind her back so she wouldn't keep fidgeting. She wasn't sure she was doing the right thing by coming here, and her heart was pounding in her chest.

It took a moment before Cait answered. "Yes? What is it?" she asked over the door's speaker. Her voice was slightly slurred. 'Great,' Meena thought, 'I woke her up.'

"Sorry to bother you," Meena said. "I, um... I just wanted... can I come in?"

The door slid open on a pitch dark room. "Light switch's to your right, about your elbow height," Cait said from somewhere inside. The smell of chemical solvents — and, was that alcohol? — hung heavily in the room.

Maybe this was a bad idea.

Meena stepped inside anyway. The door automatically closed behind her as she entered, and darkness dropped over her like a shroud. Somehow, she felt like turning on the lights would make this harder.

She stood there, just inside the door, and spoke in a rush. "I... I saw the scoring on your armor when you got back, and I was worried, but I didn't want to say anything in front of your men, just in case. I hope that was the right thing to do? And after everything else that happened... I just... I wanted to make sure you're okay...?"

Meena looked down at the floor. Not that she could see anything in the darkness. It was just easier to spill out the torrent of words when she didn't have to see the other woman's reaction to them.

"Damn," Cait said. "That's a lot to unpack." Meena could hear glass clink, and Cait take a drink of something. This time she definitely smelled booze. That obscenely strong hell-liquid Cait had swilled their first night together, no less.

This was starting to feel like even more of a bad idea.

"The answers to your questions," Cait said, "in order, are... Probably and Yes-and-No. For whatever that's worth." Meena heard the bed creak, and footsteps. Followed by a loud thud, breaking glass and a lot of foul language. "Lights!" was the only part of the tirade she could repeat to her mother. Meena wasn't even sure what some of them meant.

The lights obediently came up. Cait was in her skivvies, hopping on one foot by her breastplate and the shattered remains of a bottle.

"Are you okay?" Meena asked, starting toward her. "Let me help."

Cait hopped over to meet Meena halfway, careful to avoid the shards of glass. "Yeah, just what I deserve, I guess." She put her hands on Meena's shoulders for balance and craned her injured foot up for a better view. "Doesn't feel broken... not bleeding either...."

"Why don't you sit down?" Meena looked away, her cheeks flushed pink. "I'll clean that up. I can do that, at least."

"Just comm Maintenance and ask for a mouse droid or something." Cait steered herself over to a chair and fell into it. "There's been too much blood today to risk more over something so damn pointless as spilled booze."

"Right." Meena looked at her hands clasped in front of her. She felt her eyes filling with tears and she fought to keep them in. "I'm sorry," she said, in a small voice.

"Hey, it's not your fault. I'm the one who tried to negotiate this minefield in the dark."

"It's not that...." Meena couldn't hold it in any longer. Tears started to run down her face. She stumbled over and collapsed against Cait's chest, her body shuddering with long-repressed sobs. "I... my friend... no one can tell me what's wrong with him... and there's nothing I can do," she said. "I'm so useless...!"

"Hush," Cait said, wrapping strong arms around Meena's shoulders. "You're not useless. You are many things, Meena Lanu, but useless is not one of them."

"But... I can't do anything to help anyone... I can't fight, I'm not smart... all I can do is sit in a corner and be quiet... and I can't even do that right...."

"Can't fight, my ass," Cait said. "I _saw_ you take down that Ordo. Unarmed, I might add. and, by the way, did I mention... it turns out he was a kriffing _Jedi?_ One kick. Perfectly timed, perfectly placed. Can't fight? Hell, girl. I wish you'd teach _me_ how to do that."

A little bit of a ragged laugh-sob broke through the tears. "I just got lucky. I mean, I know a little self-defense, but... I have no idea what I'm really doing... I don't even know why I came here...."

"You came to help your friends. And you do, even when you don't know you are. Did you happen to know who _else_ saw your little instinctive self-defense demo?"

"No," Meena said. Her tears were already starting to slow as Cait's words distracted her.

"Lodus. He was right behind you, on guard duty after the, uh, misunderstanding the night before. He's been telling everyone who'll listen about it. Some of the exaggerations are downright amusing."

"Oh no, really?" Meena actually managed a giggle without sobbing this time.

The redhead's tone turned more serious. "And you've helped me. Just now."

"By crying all over you?" she asked, embarrassed by her outburst.

"By reminding me that my Now isn't all bad. I was sitting in here, getting positively hammered, because something I believed in, a cause I fought and bled for... and the friends, clan and allies who fought beside me... are now all dead. We were duped, Meena. All of it, everything we did on Castell. It was all some sick game. And everything I loved, lost."

Cait raised a very hesitant hand, and almost placed it against Meena's cheek. But just before that contact, the hand fell. "Or, so I thought," she said, not looking at her. Instead, she looked over to her helmet, and Meena followed Cait's gaze. She noticed that it had been stripped of all its paint, burnished down to bare metal. "We're still here, still alive. It's hubris of the highest order to wallow in our sorrows. We do what we can, where we can, and how we can. You taught me that."

Meena was quiet for a long moment. "I... don't think I want to be alone right now," she said finally, her voice small and soft. She laid her head against Cait's shoulder. "This might be a bad idea, but... can I stay here with you tonight?"

"If that's a bad idea," Cait said, wrapping her arms around Meena's waist, "then it's the best kind of one."

***

It took three days for Masters Kell and Quinn to return to Coruscant.

Leaving the rest of his cadre to their own errands, Kell had requested a private meeting with the Supreme Chancellor. Given the vast upswell of popular support for the Jedi in general, and Kell specifically, the Chancellor had to accede to the request.

Chancellor Todo Brox of Onderon once more struck Kell as a surprisingly slight figure. His public persona and booming oratory style made the man grow when viewed through the eyes of memory. But in reality, Brox was perhaps a meter and a half tall, and built lean.

Now, as Kell entered the Chancellor's office, the man rose to greet him and Kell once more thought that it would be a more impressive sight had the governmental executor of the entire galaxy had simply remained seated.

"Master Valen Kell," the Chancellor said in his deep melodic voice, motioning for his personal guards to leave.

In the Force, Kell heard the voice of Ashee Quinn. It was done; the Shadows had reached and subdued their targets. All the various factions within the Senate were now theirs.

"What can I do for you today?" Brox asked, extending a hand to the Jedi Master.

"Chancellor Brox," Kell said bowing his head and then taking the offered hand. "I have a proposal I would like to discuss with you..."

Through the Force, Kell reached for the bright flame that was the Chancellor's presence. This must be done in a single motion, or else Kell might never get another chance. But he had to balance speed with stealth. If any outside this room should become aware of Kell's actions...

The Chancellor looked at him, a bit of strain showing on the slight man's face as they both took their seats. "Oh? What sort of proposal?"

Mentally, Kell found the block, the part of Todo Brox's mind where Kell had been slowly building something over the years he had known the Chancellor. Now was the time to add the final pieces, and turn the key. "A path forward," he said aloud, "for the entire galaxy."

And then, Valen Kell turned that key.

***

The Phoenix still sat in interstellar blackness.

Over the last few days, the survivors of Clan Rook and the crew of the Wanderer had picked up the pieces, literally and figuratively. Both ships had been repaired, those with physical wounds tended to, and those with wounded souls patched up as best they could.

Aeron Rhade still lay on a bed in the Phoenix's medbay while his leg and ribs were seen to. He stared blankly at the ceiling, never speaking, never moving, a prisoner in his own body. An intravenous line still fed him nutrients and water; he choked if anyone tried to do so manually.

Liana had been in the room next to him at first, while her arm and head injuries finished healing, with help from the Mandalorian medtechs. Now she was whole, in body at least, and had retreated back to her own ship.

Meena sat with Aeron most of the time now. She said it was what she could do, and she didn't want him to be alone.

Renn spent his time going over the Wanderer, making sure she was in top form inside and out. Gat helped him sometimes, obviously glad of the distraction. Like all of Clan Rook, Gat was trying to keep busy, to focus on something, anything besides what had happened. And what they should do next.

Kara had grown almost as still as Aeron. All the death, the darkness of the fall of Castell, had deeply hurt her. She moved through the days woodenly, like a puppet with a disinterested handler.

Now she lay in Renn's bunk, with his arms around her and their bodies fit together, her back against his chest. But she felt light years' distant. She heard his Song, low as he slept. It should have comforted her, but instead all it did was remind her....

She'd sensed something. As the fleet had slaughtered all those people, she had felt something that could not possibly be.

The Silence.

It had been there on Castell, feeding on the deaths of all those people, even as it had on Derra IV as Venaar's troops died in the battle.

But the Silence was gone. It _had_ to be gone. She had literally burned it out of the universe... hadn't she?

She tried to prop her pillow into a more supportive arrangement, but her restless movements awakened Renn.

"Hey," he said, his voice indistinct with sleep. "You okay?"

Kara was glad to be facing away from him. She didn't think she could lie to him, and she couldn't bear to tell him the truth. It took her awhile to answer. "I- I don't know."

"You know you can tell me anything, right?" Renn said, unintentionally mirroring words she had said to him once. "I might not always get it, but I'll try."

"I felt something, during the battle. Something that can't be possible."

"What was it?"

After a very long moment, she spoke in a bare whisper. It was all she could manage. "Renn? What if... What if somehow the... the Silence survived?"

She felt his body tense against her back. "Then we find it and we wipe it out again," he said.

She brought his hand up to her lips and kissed it, trembling with fear. "Last time, it almost took you. And fighting it... Renn, I almost didn't come back from that. If it wasn't for you anchoring me and pulling me back, I don't think I could have." Kara felt tears burn in her eyes. "I'm so scared...."

"I'm right here, Kara." Renn's arms tightened around her shivering body, holding her close against him. "You're with me. I'm not going anywhere. I'm here."

Kara tried to respond, but she just couldn't force the words out. She curled around his hands, shaking like a leaf in a storm. His body gently wrapped around hers, an offer of warmth and shelter.

A buzzing trill over both their discarded comlinks got their attention. Kara reached for hers, as she was closer.

"Y- yes?" she asked.

"Kara," Cait said. "Get everybody up to the bridge, quick as you can. We're monitoring a broadcast you all need to hear. Kara... it's bad. Really bad."

Her tone sent needles of ice into Kara's gut.

Five minutes later, Kara, Renn and Liana strode onto the Phoenix's bridge. Meena was already standing next to Cait's command station, and everyone was looking at a paused holonet image of the Republic's Supreme Chancellor on the main screen.

"This came over the holonet ten minutes ago," Cait said. "The Chancellor called an emergency session of the Senate and opened it with this speech." She nodded over at Boomer and the communications tech resumed the broadcast.

"...again, friends and colleagues of the Senate, distinguished beings and citizens of the galaxy, thank you for your attention," Chancellor Brox said. Behind him, arrayed in full session, was the Senate, but no one else stood with him atop the Chancellor's spire.

Brox continued. "With the conclusion of the unlawful aggression of the Mandalorian terrorists, culminating in the foul murder of over three million citizens of the world of Castell, the Republic is forced to recognize that dangerous events are once more unfolding in the greater galaxy. These events, whatever their source and motivation, have cost the lives of too many of our friends, our families.

"This body, the Senate and the Chancellor's office, has been negligent in our primary duty, that of keeping the Republic safe. Therefore, I am announcing sweeping changes to the governmental structure of my office, and am submitting legislation before the Senate to ratify these changes, to help improve both our military's response times, and our ability to predict and defuse such incidents before they happen."

Two people climbed into view behind the Chancellor. Both were human, both probably Jedi by their robes. The man in white filled Kara with a sense of foreboding. His face was handsome, but his lower jaw and throat were a maze of disfiguring scars. The woman next to him....

"She's one of Aeron's masters!" Kara said in shock. "I recognize her!"

"To the post of Minister of Galactic Security, I now appoint Master Valen Kell, of the Jedi Order." Chancellor Brox indicated the scarred man to his right. "Master Kell was instrumental in rallying Republic response to the crisis on Castell, and commanded the fleet that broke the terrorist siege."

"Keep calling us terrorists, windbag," Cait muttered under her breath.

"And, with the Senate's approval, I wish to add an additional seat on the Intelligence Committee for Master Ashee Quinn"—he indicated the woman to his left—"to serve as a direct liaison between the Jedi Order, the Republic Military, and the civilian government. Master Quinn, you wished to address the Senate?"

Brox stepped aside and the dark-haired woman took his spot on the podium. "Honored delegates, it is with great reluctance that I accept the Chancellor's proposal, pending your approval...."

Cat and Gat both stiffened. From the communication station, Boomer said, "No kriffing way...."

"What is it?" Liana asked, confused.

"I know her voice!" Gat said. "Heard it dozens of times. That's Baroness Ordo!"

"Are you sure?" Meena asked.

"I'd bet Renn's hundred credits on it!" Gat said.

"Hey!" Renn objected, but Kara shushed him.

Master Quinn continued. "I am hesitant, as I'm sure many of you are, at the idea of Jedi assuming positions of power within the governmental structure. Let me assure you that we do so only due to the dire need, and volatility of the overall situation. We will serve as advisors, committed as always to our mission of peace...." The political platitudes continued, but no one was really paying attention as the ramifications sunk home.

The Jedi had been behind it all.

"Son of a _Hutt!"_ Renn swore. He looked at Kara. "That's how they did it. They pulled the same trick we used in the Tower with you and Aeron."

"Huh?" Gat asked.

"That's how they got around the jamming," Kara said, catching on as soon as Renn mentioned it. "They used Jedi to communicate during the battle. Probably to manipulate both sides too, given how many Jedi in Ordo armor we kept finding."

At length, Master Quinn finished her remarks and the Chancellor reclaimed the podium.

"With the aid of the Jedi Order, and after a lengthy investigation, we have identified the terrorists behind the Mandalorian siege of Castell." Still images appeared in the air next to the Chancellor's hologram. "The architect of the so-called 'Free Mandalorian Fleet' was the Baroness Astanzia of Clan Ordo, who died in the battle to retake Castell. Her chief lieutenants however, have eluded Republic custody. They are: Caitlyn and her brother Gatrius of Clan Rook, as well as the following collaborators: Captain Liana of the Trianii, Aeron Rhade of Solara, Renn Falani of Nar Shaddaa, and Kara Tao Vanden of Derra IV."

Everyone was stock still, and gravely quiet.

"These are the foremost enemies of the Republic. All Judicial and Republic Military forces have been instructed to detain these people on sight. They are to be brought to justice by any and all means. Dead or alive."

And suddenly, the vast gulf of galactic space felt very small, indeed.


End file.
